Abstract
Fermented foods have made important contributions to human diets for thousands of years and continue to do so. Their health-promoting benefits are attracting increasingly attention. The present study was conducted to evaluate the impact of natural fermentation on antioxidant properties of traditionally fermented wheat (Triticum durum) compared to unfermented samples. Initially, the samples were submitted to traditional spontaneous fermentation. Subsequently, an aqueous extract was obtained and used to determine polyphenolic and flavonoid contents. Moreover, the antioxidant potential was also measured through the determination of the scavenging ability against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, reducing power and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity. The results showed that the total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were significantly increased in fermented wheat. Moreover, the antioxidant activity was more effective in fermented than in unfermented wheat. Thus, natural fermentation can enhance natural antioxidants in wheat and transform it into a healthy food or ingredient with multi-functional properties which can be used in the food industry.
Highlights
The oxidative stress is the major cause of pathological disorders and diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and carcinogenesis, inflammation, and aging
Phenolic compounds play a role in free radical scavenging capacities
These endogenous enzymatic activities play an important role in starch degradation, which is considered as source of fermentable sugars, leading to an increase in the total phenolic content (Gänzle, 2014)
Summary
The oxidative stress is the major cause of pathological disorders and diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and carcinogenesis, inflammation, and aging. Plants are rich sources of free radical scavenging molecules such as vitamins, terpenoids, phenolic acids, lignins, stilbenes, tannins, flavonoids, quinones, coumarins, alkaloids, amines, betalains and other metabolites, whose antioxidant activity is outstanding (Aiyegoro, & Okoh, 2010; Skała et al, 2016). These antioxidant agents prevent damage caused by free radicals (Medhe, Bansal, & Srivastava, 2014; Tułodziecka & Szydłowska-Czerniak, 2016). A diet containing various healthy foods with antioxidant properties is still the best strategy to benefit from antioxidants and the many other dietary bioactive components (Jamshidi-Kia et al, 2020)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
