Research On The Quality Control Of Okra Flower

Okra(Abelmoschus esculentus(L.) Moench), herbs annual, belongs to Abelmoschus of Malvaceae. It was commonly known as claw bean, bhindi and gumbo, kidney of grass. Originating in India, okra is growing in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of the world. But it was introduced into China lately. Okra is rich in polysaccharide, flavonoids, sterol, protein, vitamins, microelements and other ingredients and its nutritional value is quite high. Okra is mild, cold-natured and has the effect of relieving sore throat, treating strangurg, promoting lactation and regulating menstruation. It is not only a new type of health vegetables but also a kind of medicine of high health care value. Obviously, its potency is very good.We selected okra of different breeds and parts as the research objects. The optimization of extraction and determination of content of polysaccharide, flavonoids, sterol, protein, oil and microelements of okra were studied in the paper. Its value was evaluated comprehensively and lay a solid foundation for the further development and utilization of okra.Compared different experiment methods, we selected refluxing process to determine the content of polysaccharide, flavonoids and sterol. In the exeriment, three factors including liquid/solid ratio, extraction time and number were chosen and the yield of polysaccharide from okra was considered as evaluation index. Three levels of these three factors were determined. The optimum extraction conditions of polysaccharide were obtained as follows:liquid/solid ratio 1:45, extraction time 2 hour, extracte 3 times. Four factors including liquid/solid ratio, extraction time, extraction number and alcohol concentration were chosen and the yield of flavonoids from okra was considered as evaluation index. Three levels of these four factors were determined. The optimum extraction conditions of flavonoids were obtained as follows:liquid/solid ratio 1:25, extraction time 3 hour, extracte 3 times, alcohol concentration 50%. Three factors including liquid/solid ratio, extraction time and number were chosen and the yield of sterol from okra was considered as evaluation index. Three levels of these three factors were determined. The optimum extraction conditions of sterol were obtained as follows:liquid/solid ratio 1:35, extraction time 3 hour, extracte 3 times. After determining the content of okra of different breeds and parts, we finded that okra was rich in polysaccharide, flavonoids and sterol. And the functional contents varied among every breed and part.Water extraction was chosen to determine the content of protein. The result showed that the okra seed was rich in protein and comed next in the fruit. But the content of protein in the fruit was far less than seed.