Xao tam phan (Paramignya trimera (Oliv.) Guillaum) has been used as a herbal medicine for the treatment of cancer or cancer-like diseases in recent years, particularly in Vietnam. Drying is an important step for preparation of dried materials for storage and further investigation; however, the effects of drying must be taken into account when processing samples, as this can have profound effects on the stability of phytochemical compounds and the biological activity of the dried P. trimera root. As such, this study assessed the effects of four different drying methods (conventional, hot-air, vacuum, and microwave) on phytochemical retention and antioxidant capacity of the P. trimera root, to identify an optimal drying method for the P. trimera root. The results showed that the drying methods significantly affected phytochemical levels and antioxidant capacity of the P. trimera root, and that among the four drying methods tested, microwave drying (400 W) had the highest levels of phytochemical compounds with total phenolic, total flavonoid, Downloaded by [New York University] at 13:46 31 July 2015 2 proanthocyanidin, and saponin contents being 11.27 mg GAE, 19.88 mg RE, 3.98 mg CE, and 267.15 mg EE/gram of dried sample, respectively. Dried sample prepared using this method had comparable antioxidant capacity with other drying methods. In addition, this method had the shortest drying time (0.28 h), and consumed the least energy (0.28 kWh).Therefore, microwave drying method should be considered for drying P. trimera root for further investigation and utilization.

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SummarySix brown algae, Sargassum vestitum, Sargassum linearifolium, Phyllospora comosa, Padina sp., Hormosira banksii and Sargassum podocanthum, were investigated for the chemical profile and antioxidant activity. The results showed that the extracts H. banksii, S. vestitum and Padina sp. indicated the significantly higher total phenolic compound (TPC) and antioxidant activities (ABTS, DPPH and FRAP) compared to the other species (P < 0.05) and comparable to positive controls: butylated hydroxytoluene, ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol at the concentrations (0.06-1 mg mL À1 ). Fucoxanthin was also found in six species and isolated for evaluating antioxidant activity. In addition, the phenolic compounds were mainly responsible for antioxidant activity of the extracts, while fucoxanthin showed quite high antioxidant activity. It is suggested that S. vestitum, H. banksii and Padina sp. have the potent for extracting bioactive components and further applications in food and pharmaceutical industries.