Antioxidant properties of commercial wild rice and analysis of soluble and insoluble phenolic acids

Abstract

Abstract To investigate the antioxidant properties of commercial wild rice, identify and quantify soluble and insoluble phenolic acids in wild rice whole grain, the alkaline hydrolysates from crude methanol extracts (soluble fraction) and residues (insoluble fraction) were separately analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with photodiode array detection (PAD) and quadrupole-time of flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The antioxidant activity of wild rice methanol extract was found to be up to 10 times greater than that of white rice (control sample) according to their 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Ferulic acid was found as the most abundant phenolic acid (up to 355 mg/kg) followed by sinapic acid in wild rice. They both occurred mainly in the insoluble form. Other monomeric phenolic acids present in wild rice consisted of p-coumaric, vanillic, syringic, and p-hydroxybenzoic acids, along with two phenolic acid aldehydes (p-OH-benzaldehyde and vanillin). They were present in both soluble and insoluble forms. Phenolic acid dehydrodimers are cell wall bound and only appeared in the insoluble fractions featured by diferulic acids (DiFA) and disinapic acids (DiSA). The chemical structures of DiFA included 8-8′, 5-5′, 8-O-4′, and 8-5′ (benzofuran form) coupled dimers, with 8-O-4′ as the predominant form (up to 34 mg/kg). DiSA only appeared as 8-8′-coupled products with the linear isomers in the most quantities (up to 19 mg/kg). The DPPH free radical scavenging activities of soluble and insoluble fractions suggest that the antioxidant activity of wild rice is partially attributed to its phenolic acid profile.