Antioxidant Food Research Articles

Spectrophotometric Methods for Measurement of Antioxidant Activity in Food and Pharmaceuticals.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the application of antioxidants in food and pharmaceuticals due to their association with beneficial health effects against numerous oxidative-related human diseases. The antioxidant potential can be measured by various assays with specific mechanisms of action, including hydrogen atom transfer, single electron transfer, and targeted scavenging activities. Understanding the chemistry of mechanisms, advantages, and limitations of the methods is critical for the proper selection of techniques for the valid assessment of antioxidant activity in specific samples or conditions. There are various analytical techniques available for determining the antioxidant activity of biological samples, including food and plant extracts. The different methods are categorized into three main groups, such as spectrometry, chromatography, and electrochemistry techniques. Among these assays, spectrophotometric methods are considered the most common analytical technique for the determination of the antioxidant potential due to their sensitivity, rapidness, low cost, and reproducibility. This review covers the mechanism of actions and color changes that occur in each method. Furthermore, the advantages and limitations of spectrophotometric methods are described and discussed in this review.

Picosecond laser-assisted synthesis of silver nanoparticles with high practical application as electroanalytical sensor

Gallic acid (GA) is one of the most important and present natural phenolic compounds due to its well-known biological properties, and its detection and monitoring is of great importance. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most studied metallic nanomaterials used in various fields, from biomedical applications to electrochemical sensing devices. In this work, we used the pulsed laser ablation technique in liquid for the one-step preparation of nanoparticles of silver from a pure silver plate base in N,N-dimethylformamide. Obtained nanomaterial was characterized using morphological and electrochemical methods and used for modification of screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCE). Successful immobilization at the surface is confirmed using the surface profiling method. A newly obtained sensor was used for the detection of GA. After parameters optimization, a differential pulse voltammetric protocol was developed, using two approaches - concentration vs. current (GA determination) and peak area vs. current (estimation of the antioxidant capacity). For the first approach sensor linearity was found to be in the range from 0.50 µM to 10 µM, with the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.16 µM and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.50 µM. In the second system operating linear range was the same, while LOD and LOQ were 0.11 µM and 0.34 µM, respectively. Practical application of the method was tested using two approaches: direct measurement of gallic acid in biological fluids and estimation of the antioxidant capacity and food quality purpose.

Elaboration and evaluation of chicken burger patty added with oregano extract as a natural antioxidant

This study aimed to evaluate chicken burger patties added with oregano extract as a natural antioxidant. A hydroalcoholic extract of dehydrated oregano was prepared. The lyophilized extract was evaluated for antioxidant activity by the Folin-Ciocalteu, DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS methods. Chicken burger patty formulations were prepared with the addition of lyophilized oregano extract at different concentrations: 0.00% (control formulation - C), 0.25% (NA1), 0.50% (NA2), 0.75% (NA3), and a formulation with the addition of 0.25% sodium erythorbate, a synthetic antioxidant (SA). The burger patties were evaluated for pH, water activity, lipid oxidation, yield, shrinkage, color, and texture. The oregano extract showed 182.38 g GAE g−1 of reducing capacity, 2531.13 mmol Trolox g−1 for antioxidant activity by FRAP, 2.16 mmol Trolox g−1 for ABTS, and an EC50 for DPPH of 33.88 g extract g−1 DPPH. The addition of oregano extract did not change the parameters of pH, water activity, shrinkage, and texture profile of the burger patties. The burger patties added with 0.50% (NA2) and 0.75% (NA3) of oregano extract were darker, less reddish, and more yellowish than C, NA1, and SA burger patties. Formulations NA1, NA2, NA3, and SA did not differ from each other regarding lipid oxidation at 60 days of storage, but with values significantly lower than formulation C (without antioxidants). Furthermore, an increase in TBARS values was observed during the storage period for formulations C and SA, which was not observed for formulations with the addition of natural antioxidants (NA1, NA2, and NA3). Oregano extract showed antioxidant properties evaluated by different methods, demonstrating the potential to be used as a substitute for synthetic antioxidants in foods. The addition of 0.25% of oregano extract in chicken burger patties led to lower lipid oxidation without compromising color, texture, and yield parameters, being considered the ideal concentration for application.

Purification, structural characterization and antioxidant activities of two neutral polysaccharides from persimmon peel

Two neutral polysaccharides (PPP1-1 and PPP1-2) were purified from persimmon peel. PPP1-1 (21.84 kDa) was mainly composed of arabinose (22.92 %), galactose (21.09 %), glucose (35.13 %), and xylose (19.09 %), while PPP1-2 (10.42 kDa) mainly contained arabinose (32.98 %), galactose (20.81 %), glucose (26.86 %), xylose (10.46 %), and mannose (7.63 %). Methylation and NMR spectra analysis demonstrated that the backbone of PPP1-1 appeared to be →6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →2,6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →5)-α-L-Araf-(1→, and →3,5)-α-L-Araf-(1 → residues with branches consisting of →3)-α-L-Araf-(1→, →4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →3)-β-D-Galp-(1→, →4)-β-D-Galp-(1→, →4)-β-D-Xylp-(1→, →6)-β-D-Galp-(1→, →4)-β-D-Manp-(1→, and α-L-Araf-(1 → residues. The main chain of PPP1-2 was composed of →6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →5)-α-L-Araf-(1→, and →3,5)-α-L-Araf-(1 → residues with branches consisting of →3)-α-L-Araf-(1→, →1,2)-α-D-Glcp-(6→, →4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →3)-β-D-Galp-(1→, →4)-β-D-Galp-(1→, →6)-β-D-Galp-(1→, →4)-β-D-Xylp-(1→, →4,6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, and →4)-β-D-Manp-(1 → residues and terminal of α-L-Araf-(1 → residue. PPP1-2 exhibited stronger antioxidant activities and better thermal stability than PPP1-1. Our results provided the foundation for further investigating the structure and biological activities of persimmon peel polysaccharides and highlighted their potential to become potential antioxidants in functional food.

Hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of vegetal milk produced with Mucuna pruriens L. seed in rats fed a high-fat diet

Research on the production of lipid-lowering drugs from natural sources has become increasingly important. In this study, we investigated the hypolidemic properties of the vegetable milk produced from the seeds of Mucuna pruriens L. Vegetable milk were produced from whole or dehulled seeds of two varieties of M. pruriens, var. Veracruz: dehulled Veracruz milk (DVM) and whole Veracruz milk (WVM); and var. Cochinchinensis: dehulled Cochinchinensis milk (DCM) and whole Cochinchinensis milk (WCM). Then, the phenolic and antioxidant properties of these milks were analyzed. Furthermore, the effect of the intake on selected antioxidant and serum toxicity markers was assessed on hyperlipidemic rats. Three controls were made of normal rats, untreated hyperlipidemic rats, and hyperlipidemic rats treated with atorvastatin (10 mg/kg/day). Four test groups were made of hyperlipidemic rats and treated for 4 weeks with a diet in which vegetable milk (DCM, WCM, DVM, and WVM) was used as the protein source instead of casein. The antioxidant activity (DPPH free radical scavenging 167.2–299.9 mg/100 ml) and phenolic compounds (122.8–199.5 mg/100 ml) were higher in milks produced with whole seeds than in milks produced with dehulled seeds. Moreover, the levels of creatinine, ALAT, ASAT, and MDA, as well as total, LDL, and VLDL cholesterol, significantly increased in the serum of hyperlipidemic rats (p < 0.05). However, the antioxidant enzyme activities of treated rats significantly (p < 0.05) decreased compared to those of normal rats. The intake of M. pruriens milk significantly reduced the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose and LDL in the serum (p < 0.05). Whole M. pruriens milk exhibited higher antioxidant properties, but showed high levels of ALAT, ASAT, and creatinine, which could have an adverse effect on certain organs. Overall, dehulled M. pruriens milk could be a potent hypolipidemic and antioxidant functional food.

Optimization of Extraction Process, Structure Characterization, and Antioxidant Activity of Polysaccharides from Different Parts of Camellia oleifera Abel

The flowers, leaves, seed cakes and fruit shells of Camellia oleifera are rich in bioactive polysaccharides, which can be used as additives in food and other industries. In this study, a Box−Behnken design was used to optimize the extraction conditions of polysaccharides from C. oleifera flowers (P-CF), leaves (P-CL), seed cakes (P-CC), and fruit shells (P-CS). Under the optimized extraction conditions, the polysaccharide yields of the four polysaccharides were 9.32% ± 0.11 (P-CF), 7.57% ± 0.11 (P-CL), 8.69% ± 0.16 (P-CC), and 7.25% ± 0.07 (P-CS), respectively. Polysaccharides were mainly composed of mannose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, and xylose, of which the molecular weights ranged from 3.31 kDa to 128.06 kDa. P-CC had a triple helix structure. The antioxidant activities of the four polysaccharides were determined by Fe2+ chelating and free radical scavenging abilities. The results showed that all polysaccharides had antioxidant effects. Among them, P-CF had the strongest antioxidant activity, of which the highest scavenging ability of DPPH•, ABTS•+, and hydroxyl radical could reach 84.19% ± 2.65, 94.8% ± 0.22, and 79.97% ± 3.04, respectively, and the best chelating ability of Fe2+ could reach 44.67% ± 1.04. Overall, polysaccharides extracted from different parts of C. oleifera showed a certain antioxidant effect, and could be developed as a new type of pure natural antioxidant for food.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction, optimization, isolation, and antioxidant activity analysis of flavonoids from Astragalus membranaceus stems and leaves

Astragalus membranaceus is a medicinal and edible species in China, with a variety of biological activities. This study evaluated the reuse potential of A. membranaceus waste as a source of food antioxidants. Antioxidant and antifungal activities of flavonoids, polysaccharides, and saponins from A. membranaceus stems and leaves were evaluated. Results showed that inhibition rate of flavonoids on six tested fungi reaches 100 % at a concentration of 5 mg/mL, and the antioxidant test demonstrated satisfactory antioxidant activity. On this basis, an extremely economical ultrasonic-assisted extraction of flavonoids from A. membranaceus stems and leaves was developed and optimized via response surface methodology (RSM). Optimized conditions included an extraction time of 35 min, ethanol concentration of 75 %, liquid–solid ratio of 40 mL/g, and extraction temperature of 58 °C, in which the extraction yield of flavonoids was 22.0270 ± 2.5739 mg/g. The total flavonoids were separated and purified using activity-guided isolation technology, and frac. ccd with strong antioxidant activity were analyzed via HPLC-MS/MS. Results showed that main components are isoquercitrin and astragalin. This study can provide a potential innovative application for the development of natural food antioxidants from A. membranaceus waste.

Multifunctional lignin-poly (lactic acid) biocomposites for packaging applications.

Lignin is the most abundant aromatic biopolymer with many promising features but also shortcomings as a filler in polymer blends. The main objective of this work was to improve the processability and compatibility of lignin with poly (lactic acid) (PLA) through etherification of lignin. Commercial kraft lignin (KL) and oxypropylated kraft lignin (OPKL) were blended with PLA at different weight percentages (1, 5, 10, 20, and 40%) followed by injection molding. Low lignin contents between 1 and 10% generally had a favorable impact on mechanical strength and moduli as well as functional properties of the PLA-based composites. Unmodified lignin with free phenolic hydroxyl groups rendered the composites with antioxidant activity, as measured by radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation tests. Incorporating 5–10% of KL or OPKL improved the thermal stability of the composites within the 300–350°C region. DSC analysis showed that the glass transition temperature values were systematically decreased upon addition of KL and OPKL into PLA polymer. However, low lignin contents of 1 and 5% decreased the cold crystallization temperature of PLA. The composites of KL and OPKL with PLA exhibited good stabilities in the migration test, with values of 17 mg kg−1 and 23 mg kg−1 even at higher lignin content 40%, i.e., well below the limit defined in a European standard (60 mg kg−1). These results suggest oxypropylated lignin as a functional filler in PLA for safe and functional food packaging and antioxidant applications.

Cardiometabolic impact of antioxidant functional food: Promising data from Whey derived proteins enriched with hemp seed oil

Cardiometabolic impact of antioxidant functional food: Promising data from Whey derived proteins enriched with hemp seed oil

Bioactive Edible Sodium Alginate Films Incorporated with Tannic Acid as Antimicrobial and Antioxidative Food Packaging.

Currently, biodegradable and functional food packaging materials have attracted more and more attention due to their potential advantages. Biopolymers are one of the promising materials used to produce biodegradable food packaging films, and sodium alginate (SA) is one of the most used polysaccharides. In this work, we explored a novel edible sodium alginate (SA)/tannic acid (TA) film as biodegradable active food packaging material. The impact of TA concentration on the UV light blocking ability, transparency, water vapor barrier ability, mechanical strength, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity of the SA-TA films was comprehensively investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results revealed that strong hydrogen bonding was the main intermolecular interaction between SA and TA. As TA concentration in the films increased, the water vapor permeability (WVP) decreased from 1.24 × 10−6 to 0.54 × 10−6 g/m/h/Pa, the DPPH radical scavenging activity increased from 0.008% to 89.02%. Moreover, the incorporation of TA effectively blocked UV light and elevated antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli. Overall, the SA films with TA exhibited better water vapor barrier ability, remarkable UV-light barrier ability and antioxidant activity while showing a slight decrease in light transmittance. These results indicated the potential application of TA as a functional additive agent for developing multifunctional food packaging materials.

Furan Fatty Acids in Some 20 Fungi Species: Unique Profiles and Quantities.

Furan fatty acids (FuFAs) are a group of excellent antioxidants in food. Since data in fungi were scarce, 37 commercial or collected edible and meadow fungi were analyzed on FuFA patterns and contents. FuFA amounts in fresh fungi ranged from not detectable (n = 2) to 40 mg/100 g fungi dry weight. Fresh samples of the popular edible fungi genera Agaricus and Pleurotus showed comparable FuFA contents of 9.0-33 mg/100 g fungi dry weight. The unique FuFA profile of the fungi was dominated by 9-(3,4-dimethyl-5-pentylfuran-2-yl)-nonanoic acid (9D5). In addition, the uncommon 9-(3,4-dimethyl-5-butylfuran-2-yl)-nonanoic acid (9D4) was present in 30% of the samples with contents of up to 0.2 mg/100 g fungi dry weight. Countercurrent separation techniques were used to isolate the main FuFA 9D5, to verify the presence of 9D4, and to determine ultra-traces of 11-(3,4-dimethyl-5-pentylfuran-2-yl)-undecanoic acid (11D5), which may have been assimilated by the fungi from the substrate.

Phytochemical Properties and In Vitro Biological Activities of Phenolic Compounds from Flower of Clitoria ternatea L.

Phenolic compounds from the flower of Clitoria ternatea L. (PCFCTL) were extracted using a high-speed shearing extraction technique and purified by AB-8 macroporous resins, and the phytochemical composition of the purified phenolic compounds from the flower of Clitoria ternatea L. (PPCFCTL) was then analyzed. Subsequently, its bioactivities including antioxidant properties, enzyme inhibitory activities, and antiproliferative activities against several tumor cell lines were evaluated. Results indicated that the contents of total phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols, flavanols, and phenolic acids in PPCFCTL were increased by 3.29, 4.11, 2.74, 2.43, and 2.96-fold, respectively, compared with those before being purified by AB-8 macroporous resins. The results showed PPCFCTL have significant antioxidant ability (measured by reducing power, RP, and ferric reducing antioxidant power method, FRAP) and good DPPH, ABTS+, and superoxide anion radical scavenging activities. They can also significantly inhibit lipase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase. In addition, morphological changes of HeLa, HepG2, and NCI-H460 tumor cells demonstrated the superior antitumor performance of PPCFCTL. However, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity was relatively weak. These findings suggest that PPCFCTL have important potential as natural antioxidant, antilipidemic, anti-glycemic and antineoplastic agents in health-promoting foods.

Anti-Aging Effect and Mechanism of Proanthocyanidins Extracted from Sea buckthorn on Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Aging Human Skin Fibroblasts.

Oxidative stress is the leading cause of skin aging damage. Excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) triggers a decrease in collagen synthesis and an increase in collagen degradation, which are biomarkers of skin aging. We evaluated the potential protective mechanism of Sea buckthorn proanthocyanidins (SBP) against the oxidative stress-induced skin aging process from multiple aspects. We treated human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) with 300 µmoL/L of H2O2 for 24 h, followed by 25, 50, and 100 µg/mL of SBP for 24 h. The results showed that SBP could enhance the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH), effectively remove excess ROS, and significantly improve the changes in cell morphology and viability caused by excessive ROS in skin cells. In addition, SBP could promote the synthesis of Col I in aging HSFs through the TGF-β1/Smads pathway and inhibit the degradation of Col I by regulating the MMPs/TIMPs system, thereby maintaining the stability of the ECM structure to achieve anti-aging purposes. Finally, we studied the migration ability of SBP, and the results showed that 100 µg/mL of SBP was most conducive to the cell migration of senescent cells, laying a foundation for follow-up animal experiments. These results will increase the application value of SBP in the cosmetic and antioxidative functional food industries.

Feruloyl oligosaccharides, isolated from bacterial fermented wheat bran, exhibit antioxidant effects in IPEC-J2 cells and zebrafish model.

Feruloyl oligosaccharides (FOs) were produced by solid-state fermentation of wheat bran using Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and its antioxidant activity was investigated using IPEC-J2 cells and zebrafish embryo model. Preliminary structure analysis revealed that FOs has an average molecular weight of 11.81 kDa and consists of mannose, ribose, rhamnose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, xylose, arabinose, and fucose. The obtained FOs possess superior reducing power and DPPH and hydroxyl free radical scavenging activities. In IPEC-J2 cells, antioxidant enzymes activities and GSH level were significantly increased, while MDA level was reduced by FOs. Further studies showed that FOs achieved the aforementioned effects by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway. In zebrafish embryo, FOs effectively suppressed ROS production, lipid peroxidation, and cell death by increasing SOD and GSH-Px activities. Our findings suggested that FOs from solid-state fermented wheat bran with mixed bacteria can be used as an antioxidant food additive or drugs.

Optimization of Extraction of Compound Flavonoids from Chinese Herbal Medicines Based on Quantification Theory and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant Activity

Plant-derived flavonoids have been attracting increasing research interest because of their multiple health promoting effects, where numerous investigations were carried out on the optimization of extraction and bioactivities. This study aims to optimize the extraction process of compound flavonoids (CFs) from Chinese herbal medicines and detect their antioxidant activity in vitro. CFs were extracted from the raw materials named “medicine food homology,” composed of hawthorn, lotus leaf, tartary buckwheat, cassia seed, Lycium barbarum, and Poria cocos in a mass ratio of 4 : 2 : 2 : 1.5 : 1 : 1. L9 (34) orthogonal design, level effect and engineering average estimation, and quantification theory were utilized to improve the extraction method of CFs, and the predictive model for CFs yield was constructed. The 2,2ʹ-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2ʹ-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), hydroxyl radical scavenging rate, and reducing power of CFs were measured. The highest CFs yield was obtained under the following extraction condition: liquid-solid ratio of 35 : 1 mL/g, extraction temperature of 75°C, extraction duration of 75 min, and extraction mode enzyme-assisted extraction. The forecasted yield was 37.62%. The result was accurate and the established prediction equation was reliable (R = 0.95). The antioxidant activity of CFs was significantly positively correlated with the concentration from 0.05 to 0.4 mg/mL. The DPPH, ABTS, hydroxyl radical scavenging abilities, and the reducing power of CFs were 81.82 ± 1.75%, 49.35 ± 0.09%, 89.78 ± 0.66%, and 0.232 ± 0.001 at the concentration of 0.4 mg/mL, respectively. CFs could be exploited as natural antioxidants in pharmaceuticals and functional foods.

Understanding the Gastrointestinal Behavior of the Coffee Pulp Phenolic Compounds under Simulated Conditions.

Numerous residues, such as the coffee pulp, are generated throughout coffee processing. This by-product is a source of antioxidant phytochemicals, including phenolic compounds and caffeine. However, the antioxidant properties of the phenolic compounds from the coffee pulp are physiologically limited to their bioaccessibility, bioavailability, and biotransformation occurring during gastrointestinal digestion. Hence, this study explored the phenolic and caffeine profile in the coffee pulp flour (CPF) and extract (CPE), their intestinal bioaccessibility through in vitro digestion, and their potential bioavailability and colonic metabolism using in silico models. The CPE exhibited a higher concentration of phenolic compounds than the CPF, mainly phenolic acids (protocatechuic, chlorogenic, and gallic acids), followed by flavonoids, particularly quercetin derivatives. Caffeine was found in higher concentrations than phenolic compounds. The antioxidant capacity was increased throughout the digestive process. The coffee pulp matrix influenced phytochemicals’ behavior during gastrointestinal digestion. Whereas individual phenolic compounds generally decreased during digestion, caffeine remained stable. Then, phenolic acids and caffeine were highly bioaccessible, while flavonoids were mainly degraded. As a result, caffeine and protocatechuic acid were the main compounds absorbed in the intestine after digestion. Non-absorbed phenolic compounds might undergo colonic biotransformation yielding small and potentially more adsorbable phenolic metabolites. These results contribute to establishing the coffee pulp as an antioxidant food ingredient since it contains bioaccessible and potentially bioavailable phytochemicals with potential health-promoting properties.

Chemical Profiling, Antioxidant and Lipoxygenase Enzyme Inhibition Activities of Wild Edible Truffle (Terfezia boudieri) from Northern Borders of Saudi Arabia

Truffles are natural food product very famous for its health benefits for being significant biosource of essential fatty acids, proteins and other antioxidant and phenolic compounds. The current study was conducted to evaluate the phytochemicals, antioxidant and lipoxygenase inhibition activities of Terfezia boudieri of Saudi origin. Various phytochemicals were screened applying standard procedures. The total methanol extract (TME) of the truffle was subjected to several chromatographic procedures. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH antioxidant procedure, comparing results with trolox as standard. Results demonstrated that Terfezia boudieri chemically characterized by the availability of various constituents such as flavonoids, steroids, saponins, tannins and carbohydrates at different levels. Phytochemical investigation led to the isolation of β-sitosterol and gallic acid that were identified using 1H, 13C, DEPT, COSY, HMQC and HMBC NMR spectroscopic data. Results demonstrated high antioxidant activity with IC50: 50.4 μg/ml and 31.4 μg/ml for TME and gallic acid, respectively. TME and gallic acid exhibited lipoxygenase inhibitory activity with IC50 values 4.59 and 0.53 μg/ml for TME and gallic acid, respectively. The higher lipoxygenase inhibitory activity was presumably correlated to the high antioxidant activity. In conclusion, current investigation confirms the folklore use of Terfezia boudieri as antinflammatory food. Hence, the studied Terfezia boudieri may have a great potential as antioxidant and antinflammatory functional food and nutraceuticals products for pharmaceutical applications.

Structural characterization, antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory of the phosphorylated polysaccharide from Pholiota nameko.

In this study, a novel polysaccharide (SPN) was extracted by high-temperature pressure method and purified by a DEAE-52 column and a Sephadx G-100 gel column. PPN was obtained after phosphorylation of SPN. The differences of structural features, antioxidant activity, and anti-inflammatory effect of the two polysaccharides were investigated by chemical methods and RAW 264.7 cell model. SPN (Mw = 15.8 kDa) and PPN (Mw = 27.7 kDa) are an acidic polysaccharide with β-pyranose configuration, mainly containing rhamnose, mannose, glucose, arabinose, and galacose. FI-IR, NMR, and SEM spectra showed phosphorylation of SPN changed its structure. In methylation analysis, the major chains of SPN and PPN were 1,4-linked Glcp, 1,6-linked Galp, 1,2-linked Rhap, and 1.6-linked Manp with terminals of t-linked Glcp, t-linked Araf. The side chain of SPN was 1,4,6-linked Galp, 1,2,5-linked Araf, while the side chain of PPN was 1,4,6-linked Galp, 1,2,4-linked Glcp. In antioxidant activity experiments, the free radical scavenging rate of PPN was stronger than that of SPN. Also, PPN always has better anti-inflammatory on RAW 264.7 cells induced by LPS than that of SPN in same concentration, and it plays an anti-inflammatory role by inhibiting PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. The results indicated polysaccharide could significantly improve its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory function after phosphorylation. This study provides a potentially antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health food and drug.

Special Issue on Antioxidants in Natural Products

The importance of consuming antioxidants in food and beverages has increased enormously in recent years [...]

Optimization of a Functional Beverage Formula with Antioxidant Properties

Morus alba L., Cnidoscolus chayamansa Mc.Vaugh, Moringa oleifera, and Stevia rebaudiana Bert. are widely used as ingredients in a traditional Thai beverage. This beverage is known for its beneficial properties for human health, such as its high antioxidant capacity, which give it the potential to be developed as a functional beverage. The objective of this study is to determine the optimum antioxidant properties of polyherbal formulations of leaf extracts using an in vitro method. There are 22 formulations consisting of various proportions of the extracts designated using Design Expert 6.0.4. The antioxidant study of the individual extracts and their different combinations was conducted using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, a Ferric Reduction Antioxidant Potential Assay (FRAP), and a Total Phenolic Content (TPC) assay. The results showed that Morus alba L. has higher antioxidant properties in most of the assays when tested individually, as compared to Cnidoscolus chayamansa Mc.Vaugh, Moringa oleifera, and Stevia rebaudiana Bert. A synergistic effect was exhibited in most of the polyherbal combinations. From the optimization process, it was revealed that the quadratic model was statistically significant for the FRAP and the TPC, while the special cubic model was statistically significant for the DPPH. The optimum mixture for antioxidant properties was found to contain an extract of 24.87 percent of Cnidoscolus chayamansa Mc.Vaugh, 0.64 percent of Moringa oleifera, and 73.46 percent of Morus alba L., with a desirability of 0.988. In conclusion, this present study justifies the promising antioxidant properties of the polyherbal mixtures. Thus, it is sensible to use a studied herbal formulation for the development of any antioxidant supplements or food products.