Linoleic Acid Assay Research Articles

Essential oil from fruits and roots of Ferulago campestris (Besser) Grecescu (Apiaceae): composition and antioxidant and anti‐Candida activity

AbstractEssential oil from fruits and roots of Ferulago campestris (Apiaceae) growing in central Italy was analysed by GC–FID and GC–MS for composition and by agar diffusion and microdilution methods for antibacterial and anti‐Candida activity. The antioxidant activities were also investigated by 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical‐scavenging, β‐carotene/linoleic acid assay, scavenging of hydrogen peroxide (HRPO test), and hypochlorous acid scavenging (taurine test). High yields of essential oils (5.7–7.1%) were obtained by hydrodistillation from fruits, making these exploitable in the flavour and fragrance industry. Monoterpene hydrocarbons constituted the main fraction of both fruits (78.8–80.3%) and roots (67.2–81.4%), with myrcene (33.4–39.7%), α‐pinene (22.7–23.0%) and γ‐terpinene (8.1–10.9%) as the major components of fruits, and α‐pinene (58.3–75.0%) as the predominant compound in the oil from roots collected in summer. (2,3,6)‐Trimethyl benzaldehyde was an aromatic volatile detected in significant percentages (8.6–9.0% in fruits, 14.8–27.9% in roots collected in summer, 65.2% in roots collected in autumn) in both oils. The antioxidant activity was related as IC50 to Trolox or BHT; <2 ml oils had an activity equivalent to 1 mg Trolox in the DPPH radical‐scavenging, and about 1 ml oils could be compared with 1 mg Trolox or BHT in the β‐carotene/linoleic acid assay, HRPO and taurine tests. The essential oils from the roots were more active than those from fruits against the microorganisms tested, owing to the abundance of α‐pinene, a monoterpene hydrocarbon with known antimicrobial potency. In particular, it showed strong inhibition on clinically isolated Candida strains, namely C. albicans (MIC values of 39–78 μg/ml), C. tropicalis and C. glabrata (MIC values of 78 μg/ml). Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The antioxidative effect of Iranian Mentha pulegium extracts and essential oil in sunflower oil

The aim of the present study was to evaluate antioxidative activities of the essential oil, methanol and water extracts of Iranian pennyroyal in vegetable oil during storage. Different concentrations (0, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000ppm) of essential oil, water and methanol extracts and beta-hydroxy toluene (BHT; 200ppm) were added to sunflower oil emulsion in the presence of cupric ions and incubated for 7days at 60°C. Peroxide values (PVs) and thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) levels were measured in each day up to day of seven. Furthermore, antioxidant capacity of the essential oil and extracts were determined using DPPH and β-carotene–linoleic acid methods. Values were compared among groups in each incubation time points using ANOVA. Results showed that DPPH and β-carotene–linoleic acid assay findings on the Mentha pulegium extracts were comparable to those found on BHT. Furthermore, in all incubation time points, M. pulegium extracts lowered PVs and TBARS levels when compared to the control (p<0.001). In this respect, water extract was more potent than the methanol extract. Essential oil did not show considerable antioxidative effect. It seems that water extract of M. pulegium is a potent antioxidant which makes it as a potential antioxidant for oil and oily products during storage.

Chemical composition, in vitro anti-microbial, antifungal and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanolic extract of Hymenocrater longiflorus Benth., of Iran

In this study we identified the chemical composition, anti-microbial and antioxidant effects of essential oil and methanolic extract of Hymenocrater longiflorus Benth. Totally 87 volatile compounds from the essential oil in H. longiflorus, were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). These compounds are mainly monoterpene hydrocarbons, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes and oxygenated sesquiterpenoids compounds. The anti-microbial and antifungal activity of plants extracts against several pathogenic microorganisms was studied by disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration procedures. The results revealed that the essential oil and polar sub-fraction are effective mostly against Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. The antioxidant activity was also determined by 1,1′-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, β-carotene linoleic acid assay and reducing power. In addition the total phenol of essential oil (54.6 ± 1.2), polar sub-fraction (50.0 ± 1.4) and non-polar sub-fraction (64.7 ± 2.0) were determined.

Antioxidant Activity of the Essential Oil and Methanolic Extract of Teucrium orientale (L.) subsp. taylori (Boiss.) Rech. f.

This study was designed to examine the chemical composition and in-vitro antioxidant activity of the essential oil and methanolic extract of Teucrium orientale subsp. taylori. The GC and GC-MS analysis of the essential oil resulted in determination of 40 components representing 96.4% of the oil. The major constituents of the oil were linalool (28.6%), caryophyllene oxide (15.6%), 1,8-cineol (4.5%), β-pinene (8.7%), 3-octanol (9.5%), β-caryophyllene (7.3%), and germacrene-D (4.1%). Antioxidant activities of the samples were determined by two different tests, namely DPPH and β-carotene- linoleic acid assay. In DPPH system, the weakest radical scavenging activity was exhibited by the non-polar sub fraction of methanolic extract (237.40 ± 2.1 μg/mL). Antioxidant activity of the polar sub fraction of methanolic extract was superior to all samples tested, showing an EC50 value of 61.45 ± 0.5 μg/ mL. The inhibition capacity (%) of the polar sub fraction of methanolic extract (95.21% ± 1.3) was found to be the strongest and almost equal to the inhibition capacity of the positive control BHT (94.9% ± 1.1). The amount of the total phenolics was the highest in the polar subfraction, i.e. 370 μg/mg of the dry extract (37%). A positive correlation was observed between the antioxidant activity and the total phenolics of the extracts.

Synthesis of novel 3-chloro-1-(5H-dibenz[b,f]azepine-5yl)propan-1-one derivatives with antioxidant activity

A series of 3-chloro-1-(5H-dibenz[b,f]azepine-5yl)propan-1-one derivatives (2a–k) bearing different amino acids were synthesized by base condensation reaction. 3-Chloro-1-(5H-dibenz[b,f]azepine-5yl)propan-1-one(2) was obtained by N-acylation of 5H-dibenz[b,f]azepine (1). All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their potential over antioxidant activities against inhibition of lipid peroxidation by β-carotene and linoleic acid assay and inhibition of human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation assay. Typically, compound 2 showed weak antioxidant activity, whereas coupling of different amino acids enhances the antioxidant activities based on the presence of different functional groups. Among the derivatives, compound 2d showed significant antioxidant activities followed by 2h, 2i, 2j and 2k.

Antioxidant capacity and antioxidative compounds in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grain optimized using response surface methodology in hot air roasting

Response surface methodology was used to predict optimum conditions for hot air roasting of barley grains (temperature, time, and amount). Antioxidant capacity in the grains was highest under optimum conditions of 250 °C, 63.5 min and 42 g (one and a half layers). A correlation of R 2 = 0.74 (p < 0.05) was found between 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and total phenolic contents. Ethanol and aqueous extracts were prepared from grains roasted under optimum conditions and assessed for antioxidant capacity. Antioxidative compounds in the extracts were then identified using GC–MS. The IC50 value of ethanol extract was significantly lower (11.45 μg mL–1) than that of aqueous extract (33.54 μg mL–1) and α-tocopherol (12.6 μg mL–1) but higher than BHT (9.59 μg mL–1). The same trend was observed in linoleic acid assay. In reducing power, the ethanol extract and α-tocopherol were not significantly different. Phenolic acids p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, vallinic and gallic acids were identified as the major compounds in the extracts. The results obtained from this study show that it is possible to optimize antioxidant capacity in barley grains during roasting.

Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Myrtle (Myrtus communis) Extracts

The total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of methanolic, ethanolic and aqueous extracts of myrtle (Myrtus communis) leaves and berries were measured to find new potential sources of natural antioxidants. Total phenolic content was assessed by the Folin-Ciocalteau assay, while the antioxidant activity was evaluated by three methods: diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity assay, the reducing antioxidant power assay and beta-carotene linoleic acid assay. The total phenol content of myrtle extracts ranged between 9.0 and 35.6 mg GAE per g extract. For each solvent, leaf extracts contained significantly higher amount of total phenolic compounds than berry extracts. All of the extracts presented antioxidant capacity assessed by the three methods, but at different levels depending on the concentration, the extraction solvent and the part of the plant used. Generally, leaf extracts showed higher antioxidant activities than berry extracts, while the overall antioxidant strength was in the order methanol > water > ethanol in leaf extracts and methanol > ethanol > water in berry extracts. The phenolic content exhibited a positive correlation with the antioxidant activity: DPPH assay showed the highest correlation (r = 0.949), followed by the reducing power assay (r = 0.914) and the lowest for the beta-carotene linoleic acid assay (r = 0.722).

Application of artificial neural networks to the prediction of the antioxidant activity of essential oils in two experimental in vitro models

Abstract Introduction The antioxidant properties of essential oils (EOs) have been on the centre of intensive research for their potential use as preservatives or nutraceuticals by the food industry. The enormous amount of information already generated on this subject provides a rich field for data-miners as it is conceivable, with suitable computational techniques, to predict the antioxidant capacity of any essential oil just by knowing its particular chemical composition. To accomplish this task we here report on the design, training and validation of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) able to predict the antioxidant activity of EOs of known chemical composition. Methods A multilayer ANN with 30 input neurons, 42 in hidden layers (20 → 15 → 7) and one neuron in the output layer was developed and run using Fast Artificial Neural Network software. The chemical composition of 32 EOs and their antioxidant activity in the DPPH and linoleic acid models were extracted from the scientific literature and used as input values. From the initial set of around 80 compounds present in these EOs, only 30 compounds with relevant antioxidant capacity were selected to avoid excessive complexity of the neural network and minimise the associated structural problems. Results and discussion The ANN could predict the antioxidant capacities of essential oils of known chemical composition in both the DPPH and linoleic acid assays with an average error of only 3.16% and 1.46%, respectively. We also discuss on the contribution of different compounds to these chemical activities. Conclusions These results confirm that artificial neural networks are reliable, fast and cheap tools for predicting antioxidant activity of essential oils from some of its components and can be used to model biochemical properties of complex natural products including the prediction of parameters associated with nutraceutical properties of food ingredients.

ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES OF METHANOL EXTRACT OF SOME ASTRAGALUS SPECIES WILDLY GROWING IN ERZURUM

In this study, antioxidant activities of four wild type Astragalus species namely, A. microcephalus, A. lagurus, A. macrocephalus and A. galegiformis have been investigated. Plant samples were collected from Erzurum (1700-2400 m, May 2006). Dried samples were extracted with methanol in a soxholet extractor (3 h) and antioxidant activities were tested. Two methods were employed for the activity tests. The first one is DPPH method which measures the free radical scavenging ability of the extract using 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl as stable free radical. Second test method Linoleic Acid Assay determines the relative antioxidant activity (RAA %) and inhibition action of the extracts against oxidation is measured. The results showed that the extract obtained form the roots of A. macrocephalus exhibited the strongest antioxidant properties among the studied Astragalus species. Results will be discussed in details.

Influence of extrusion on the bioactive compounds and the antioxidant capacity of the bean/corn mixtures

The aim of this investigation was to examine the influence of extrusion on the bioactive compounds and the antioxidant capacity of bean/corn mixtures. Whole bean flour and nixtamalized corn were mixed in a 60:40 proportion and extrusion was performed in different moisture (14.5%, 15.4%, 17.1% and 18.0%) and temperature (150°C, 160°C, 170°C, 180°C and 190°C) conditions in order to find the optimal extrusion conditions. According to their functional properties and antioxidant status, the mixtures 142°C/16.3% H, 170°C/16.3% H and 198°C/16.3% H were defined as optimal, moderate and bad, respectively. Total polyphenols and flavonoids in the mixture of 142°C/16.3% H (15.09±1.7 mg gallic acid equivalent [GAE]/g dry weight [DW] and 1.57±0.2 mg catechin equivalent [CE]/g DW) were significantly higher (P<0.05) than in the sample 170°C/16.3% H (9.42±1.1 mg GAE/g DW and 1.4±0.1 mg CE/g DW) and the mixture 198°C/16.3% H (6.46±0.8 mg GAE/g DW and 0.78±0.1 mg CE/g DW). The antioxidant activity (37.02±3.8 and 25.01±2.5 µM Trolox equivalent [TE]/g DW) of mixture 142°C/16.3% H, determined by the cupric reducing antioxidant capacity with Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity and β-carotene–linoleic acid (β-carotene,% of inhibition) assays, was significantly higher (P<0.05) than in 170°C/16.3% H (25.69±2.8 and 17.02±1.8 µM TE/g DW) and in mixture 198°C/16.3% H (13.93±1.5 and 8.94±0.9 µM TE/g DW), respectively. The free polyphenols, flavonoids and the antioxidant activities showed lower results than the hydrolyzed ones. The correlation coefficients between polyphenols, flavonoids, and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity capacities were between 0.93 and 0.99.In cereal proteins extracted and separated by electrophoresis, some differences were found in the sodium dodecyl sulfate–protein bands in the region from 36 to 45 kDa for 142°C/16.3% H, in comparison with other samples. Therefore, there is a need to find such conditions for the extrusion procedures that would take into consideration the contents of the bioactive compounds and the antioxidant capacity in the end product.

Evaluation of antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of finger millet polyphenols ( Eleusine coracana)

Phenolic acids from finger millet ( Eleusine coracana) milled fractions (whole flour, seed coat, 3%, 5% and 7%) were isolated and their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were evaluated. Acidic methanol extracts from seed coat to whole flour were rich in polyphenol content and were found to be stable up to 48 h at pH 4, 7, and 9 as studied by ultraviolet spectroscopy. Diadzene, gallic, coumaric, syringic and vanillic acids were identified as major phenolic acids from the extracted phenolics. Diadzene content was highest in concentration in the 5% flour. The reducing power of seed coat extract was significantly ( p < 0.05) higher than that of whole flour extract. Antioxidant activity (AA) as determined by the β-carotene–linoleic acid assay indicated that the AA was highest in seed coat extract (86%), whilst at the same concentration it was only 27% in the whole flour extract. The seed coat extract showed higher antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus and Aspergillus flavus compared to whole flour extract. From these observations, it can be inferred that the polyphenols are responsible for the microbial activity of the millet and the results indicate that potential exists to utilise finger millet seed coat as an alternative natural antioxidant and food preservative.

On the importance of adequately choosing the ingredients of yoghurt and enriched milk for their antioxidant activity

SummaryThe antioxidant activity of several dairy products, yoghurt enriched with green tea and lemon, fermented milk, yoghurt with strawberry pulp, ‘low‐calorie’ yoghurt with inulin and milk enriched with vitamin E and their ingredients were analysed. Yoghurt enriched with green tea and lemon showed the best lipidic antioxidant capacity. All the dairy products analysed were very good OH· radical scavengers. The dairy products analysed were unable to scavenge H2O2 except green tea. The antioxidant activity of these samples resisted high temperatures in the Rancimat test; of the ingredients analysed, the best antioxidant activity was found for vitamin E followed by green tea, pectin, Lactobacillus acidophilus, lemon pulp and cornstarch. Antioxidant activity did not suffer variations during storage at an unfavourable temperature (40 °C), as demonstrated by the linoleic acid assay. Yoghurt enriched with green tea and lemon, yoghurt with strawberry pulp and low‐calorie yoghurt with inulin produced the best results in the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay.

Antioxidant properties of durian fruit as influenced by ripening

The antioxidant properties of durian ( Durio zibethinus Murr., cv. Mon Thong) at different stages of ripening were investigated using fluorometry, UV spectroscopy, and HPLC/DAD analyses. Total polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins and flavanols in ripe durian were significantly higher ( p < 0.05) than in mature and overripe fruits. Free polyphenols and flavonoids were at lower levels than hydrolyzed ones. Caffeic acid and quercetin were the dominant antioxidant substances in ripe durian. In these fruits, methanol extracts contained a relatively high capacity of 74.9 ± 7.1% inhibition using β-carotene–linoleic acid assay. Ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and cupric-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays supported this finding. The correlation coefficients between polyphenols and antioxidant capacities of durian samples with all applied assays were about 0.98. In conclusion, the bioactivity of ripe durian was high and the total polyphenols were the main contributors to the overall antioxidant capacity.

Chemical Composition of the Volatile Extract and Antioxidant Activities of the Volatile and Nonvolatile Extracts of Egyptian Corn Silk (Zea mays L.)

A total of 36 compounds, which comprised 99.4% of the extract, were identified by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the volatile dichloromethane extract obtained from Egyptian corn silk. The main constituents of the volatile extract were cis-alpha-terpineol (24.22%), 6,11-oxidoacor-4-ene (18.06%), citronellol (16.18%), trans-pinocamphone (5.86%), eugenol (4.37%), neo-iso-3-thujanol (2.59%), and cis-sabinene hydrate (2.28%). Dried Egyptian corn silk was also directly extracted with petroleum ether, ethanol, and water. All extracts from solvent extraction and the volatile extract described above exhibited clear antioxidant activities at levels of 50-400 microg/mL in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)/linoleic acid assay. The ethanol extract inhibited DPPH activity by 84% at a level of 400 microg/mL. All samples tested via the beta-carotene bleaching assay also exhibited satisfactory antioxidant activity with clear dose responses. This study indicates that corn silk could be used to produce novel natural antioxidants as well as a flavoring agent in various food products.

In vitro studies of polyphenol compounds, total antioxidant capacity and other dietary indices in a mixture of plants (Prolipid)

The best health and nutrition results can be achieved not only from the consumption of fruits and vegetables with high antioxidant capacities, but also from medicinal plants and herbs. Therefore, in the present investigation, the bioactive compounds (polyphenols and flavonoids) and the radical scavenging capacities of Prolipid, a mixture of herbs, were studied. Water extracts showed relatively high capacity of about 61.5% inhibition with the β-carotene–linoleic acid assay. In order to support the data obtained with β-carotene–linoleic acid assay, three different antioxidant assays were used: ferric-reducing/antioxidant power, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical with prolonged time of their reactions. It was found that the amounts of polyphenols in water and methanol extracts were 22.849±2.267 and 3.241±0.325 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight, and the antioxidant capacities in same extracts as determined by the 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) test after 120min were 275.81±27.58 and 62.25±6.11 micromole Trolox equivalents (µMTE) dry weight, respectively. The correlation coefficients between polyphenols and antioxidant capacities of Prolipid with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical and β-carotene–linoleic acid assay were about 0.97 and 0.98. In conclusion, the bioactivity of Prolipid was high and the total polyphenols were the main contributors to the overall antioxidant capacity. The results of our investigation in vitro are comparable with other medicinal plants and fruits widely used in the treatment of humans without known side effects. Prolipid, a mixture of herbs, can therefore be used as a supplement for nutritional and healthy purposes.

Antioxidant activity of some phenolic constituents from green pepper ( Piper nigrum L.) and fresh nutmeg mace ( Myristica fragrans)

Antioxidant potential of phenolic compounds from green pepper ( Piper nigrum L.) and lignans from fresh mace ( Myristica fragrans) were evaluated for their ability to scavenge 1,1′-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, inhibit lipid peroxidation and protect plasmid DNA damage upon exposure to gamma radiation. EC 50 values of the major phenolic compounds of green pepper namely, 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl ethanol glucoside, 3,4-dihydroxy-6-( N-ethylamino) benzamide and phenolic acid glycosides were found to be 0.076, 0.27 and 0.12 mg/ml, respectively, suggesting a high radical scavenging activity of these phenolics. These results were further confirmed with cyclic voltammetry. Acetone extract of nutmeg mace and its subsequent TLC isolated fractions constituted mainly of lignans as revealed by GC–MS analysis. The major compounds were tentatively identified from their mass spectral fragmentation pattern. DPPH radical scavenging capacity of the acetone extract as well as its fractions was comparatively lower than that of green pepper phenolics. In contrast, these fractions had a greater ability to inhibit lipid oxidation than phenolics from pepper as revealed by β-carotene–linoleic acid assay. A DNA protecting role of these compounds even at doses as high as 5 kGy further suggested the potential use of green pepper and fresh nutmeg mace and their extracts as a nutraceutical in preventing oxidative damage to cells.

Antioxidant and Biocidal Activities of Carum nigrum (Seed) Essential Oil, Oleoresin, and Their Selected Components

In the present study, chemical constituents of the essential oil and oleoresin of the seed from Carum nigrum obtained by hydrodistillation and Soxhlet extraction using acetone, respectively, have been studied by GC and GC-MS techniques. The major component was dillapiole (29.9%) followed by germacrene B (21.4%), beta-caryophyllene (7.8%), beta-selinene (7.1%), and nothoapiole (5.8%) along with many other components in minor amounts. Seventeen components were identified in the oleoresin (Table 2) with dillapiole as a major component (30.7%). It also contains thymol (19.1%), nothoapiole (15.2.3%), and gamma-elemene (8.0%). The antioxidant activity of both the essential oil and oleoresin was evaluated in mustard oil by monitoring peroxide, thiobarbituric acid, and total carbonyl and p-anisidine values of the oil substrate. The results showed that both the essential oil and oleoresin were able to reduce the oxidation rate of the mustard oil in the accelerated condition at 60 degrees C in comparison with synthetic antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene at 0.02%. In addition, individual antioxidant assays such as linoleic acid assay, DPPH scavenging activity, reducing power, hydroxyl radical scavenging, and chelating effects have been used. The C. nigrum seed essential oil exhibited complete inhibition against Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 2000 and 3000 ppm, respectively, by agar well diffusion method. Antifungal activity was determined against a panel of foodborne fungi such as Aspergillus niger, Penicillium purpurogenum, Penicillium madriti, Acrophialophora fusispora, Penicillium viridicatum, and Aspergillus flavus. The fruit essential oil showed 100% mycelial zone inhibition against P. purpurogenum and A. fusispora at 3000 ppm in the poison food method. Hence, both oil and oleoresin could be used as an additive in food and pharmaceutical preparations after screening.

The in vitro antioxidative properties of the essential oils and methanol extracts of Satureja spicigera (K. Koch.) Boiss. and Satureja cuneifolia ten

This study was designed to examine the in vitro antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extracts of Satureja spicigera and S. cuneifolia from Turkish flora. GC and GC/MS analysis of the essential oils resulted in the identification of 40 and 29 compounds, representing the 99.4% and 99.5% of the oils, respectively. Major constituents of the oils were carvacrol (42.5% and 67.1%), γ-terpinene (21.5% and 15.2%) and p-cymene (20.9% and 6.7%), respectively. Methanol extracts were also obtained from the aerial parts of the plants. The samples were subjected to a screening for their possible antioxidant activities by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and β-carotene–linoleic acid assays. In general, samples obtained from S. cuneifolia exerted greater antioxidant activities than did those obtained from S. spicigera. In the DPPH test system, free radical-scavenging activity of S. spicigera oil was determined to be 127 ± 1.63 μg/ml, whereas IC 50 value of S. cuneifolia was 89.1 ± 2.29 μg/ml. In the β-carotene–linoleic acid test system, antioxidant activities of the oil were 81.7 ± 1.14% and 93.7 ± 1.83%, respectively. Antioxidant activities of the synthetic antioxidant, BHT, ascorbic acid, curcumin and α-tocopherol were also determined in parallel experiments.

Evaluation of antioxidant capacity of cereal brans.

Several oat brans (crunchy oat bran, oat bran alone, and oat breakfast cereal) and wheat brans (wheat bran alone, wheat bran powder, wheat bran with malt flavor, bran breakfast cereal, tablet of bran, and tablet of bran with cellulose) used as dietary fiber supplements by consumers were evaluated as alternative antioxidant sources (i) in the normal human consumer, preventing disease and promoting health, and (ii) in food processing, preserving oxidative alterations. Products containing wheat bran exhibited higher peroxyl radical scavenging effectiveness than those with oat bran. Wheat bran powder was the best hydroxyl radical (OH*) scavenger. In terms of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenging, wheat bran alone was the most effective, while crunchy oat bran, oat bran alone, and oat breakfast cereal did not scavenge H2O2. The shelf life of fats (obtained by the Rancimat method for butter) increased most in the presence of crunchy oat bran. When the antioxidant activity during 28 days of storage was measured by the linoleic acid assay, all of the oat and wheat bran samples analyzed showed very good antioxidant activities. The Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay was used to provide a ranking order of antioxidant activity. The wheat bran results for TEAC (6 min), in decreasing order, were wheat bran powder > wheat bran with malt flavor > or = wheat bran alone > or = bran breakfast cereal > tablet of bran > tablet of bran with cellulose. The products made with oat bran showed lower TEAC values. In general, avenanthramide showed a higher antioxidant level than each of the following typical cereal components: ferulic acid, gentisic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, syringic acid, vanillic acid, vanillin, and phytic acid.

Atividade antioxidante de xantonas isoladas de espécies de Leiothrix (Eriocaulaceae)

Leiothrix (Eriocaulaceae) is an exclusively South American genus of which 37 species are restricted to Brazil. Leiothrix flavescens (Bong.) Ruhland and Leiothrix curvifolia (Bong.) Ruhland, are species endemic to areas of Minas Gerais and Bahia States. Chemical and biological investigations of this genus are scarse. The objective of this work was to investigate the antioxidant effect using TEAC and linoleic acid assays of the xanthones isolated from the ethanolic extract of these species. These substances showed a moderate antioxidant activity when compared to quercetin and to BHT.