Abstract
Herbal extracts are considered as a good sources of antioxidant compounds. This work describes antioxidant effect of 15 kinds of herbs. Three different antioxidant assays were used, Trolox equivalent antiradical activity (TEAC), test based on deoxyribose oxidation and DPPH method. The TEAC values ranged from 0.38mM to 0.77 mM. Deoxyribose assay showed antioxidant activity of selected extracts expressed as the inhibition of formation of oxidative products of deoxyribose from 2.68 to 50.05 %. The DPPH method values ranged from 6.47 to 73.80 %. Extracts of Prunus spinosa L., Euphrasia rostkoviana Hayne were the best antioxidants confirmed by all methods. Scrophularia nodosa L. extract showed the weak antioxidant effect determined by all selected methods. Phenolic content was in relation to the antioxidant effect of herbs, very high significancy between DPPH and polyphenols content was found. To improve selected properties of apple juice (taste, smell, functional properties) by addition of medicinal herbs was achieved in this work. Antioxidant effect of apple juice variants with herbs additions determined by DPPH method was high and ranged from 73 to 78.49 %. Herbal extracts can be utilised in selected combinations to improve sensory and functional properties of some kinds of beverages.
Highlights
Dietary habits influence the risk of developing a variety of diseases, especially cancer and heart diseases
Antioxidant effects of selected herbal extracts compared to different assays Antioxidant effect of selected water extracts from herbs which are commonly cultivated in gardens, or in nature was observed and is shown in the table 1
Determination of antioxidant activity by ABTS radical showed the extracts of euphrasia (0.77 mM), silverweed (0.77 mM) and black thorn (0.60 mM) to be the best sources of antioxidants
Summary
Dietary habits influence the risk of developing a variety of diseases, especially cancer and heart diseases. Epidemiologic observations and laboratory studies have indicated that tea consumption may have beneficial effects in reducing certain types of cancer in some populations (Mukhtar, Ahmad, 2000). The traditional Chinese medicinal plants associated with anticancer demonstrated significantly stronger antioxidant activity and contained much more phenolic compounds than common vegetables and fruits. A positive and significant correlation existed between antioxidant activity and total phenolic content, revealing that phenolic compounds were the dominant antioxidant components in the tested medicinal herbs. Flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, lignans, quinones, stilbenes, and curcuminoids were identified as major types of phenolic compounds. The investigation of the inter-relationship between phenolic compounds and antioxidant/anticancer activity will be a promising field to understand and elucidate possible mechanisms for the functionality of traditional Chinese medicines for cancer prevention and treatment (Cai et al, 2004)
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