Abstract
The phenolic acids in free phenolic acid (FPHA), methanol-soluble phenolic ester (MSPE), and methanol-soluble phenolic glycoside (MSPG) fractions of two carob products, natural carob-pod flour (CPF) and commercial carob-pod flour (CCPF), were identified and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Six phenolic acids were identified in the carob flours (gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, gentisic acid, syringic acid, p- coumaric acid, and sinapic acid). Gallic acid was the major phenolic acid; and its concentrations in CCPF were substantially higher than in CPF (135 - 166 and 85.2 - 91.3 mg/g dw, respectively). The concentrations of p-coumaric acid and sinapic acid were also higher in CCPF than in CPF. In contrast, the concentrations of protocatechuic acid and gentisic acid were generally lower in CCPF than in CPF, with the only exception being gentisic acid glycosides. Both carob-pod flours contained almost the same amount of sinapic acid and syringic acid. The total phenolic contents of the FPHA, MSPE, and MSPG fractions of CPF were found to be 44%, 38%, and 69% that of the respective fractions of CCPF. Correspondingly, the FPHA, MSPE, and MSPG fractions of CCPF had higher free radical-scavenging activity (28.4%, 33.1%, and 26.2%, respectively) than the corresponding fractions of CPF (9.2%, 28.0%, and 9.2%, respectively). Notably, the FPHA and MSPG fractions of each sample had very similar scavenging activity while the MSPE fraction always had higher activity. The FPHA and MSPG fractions of CPF had the lowest activities.
Highlights
Oxidative stress has been identified as a factor in a number of chronic and degenerative diseases as well as in various dysfunctions
We investigated the phenolic content of carob-pod flour produced in Turkey, at two stages of commercial preparation: natural carob-pod flour (CPF), prepared by air drying and mechanical milling of carob-pods; and commercial carob-pod flour (CCPF), prepared by high-temperature roasting of CPF
Analysis of free and conjugated phenolic acids in natural carob-pod flour (CPF) and commercial carob-pod flour (CCPF) by HPLC/MS revealed the presence of four hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives (HBAs; gallic, protocatechuic, gentisic, and syringic acids) and two hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (HCAs; p-coumaric and sinapic acids) in the carob powder extracts
Summary
Oxidative stress has been identified as a factor in a number of chronic and degenerative diseases as well as in various dysfunctions. Plants are used in alternative and traditional medicine, and the increasingly larger efforts being made toward the therapy of oxidative-stress disorders has led to the development of antioxidant/free radical-scavenging studies of plants in order to benefit from their protective effects. It has been reported that oxidative stress is initiated by free radicals These highly reactive species are stabilized by electron pairing with biological macromolecules in healthy human cells, which cause damage to proteins and DNA along with lipid peroxidation. All human cells have the ability to protect themselves against free radical damage; by means of enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and catalase, or compounds such as ascorbic acid, tocopherol, and glutathione [1] Sometimes these protective mechanisms are disrupted by various pathological processes, rendering antioxidant supplements vital to the combat of oxidative damage [2]. We evaluated the content of free and bound phenolic acids, and the antioxidant activity of these two carobpod flours
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