The aim of the present work is to determine the content of polyphenols in tobacco varieties and to investigate the antioxidant activity in tobacco extracts. Bulgarian tobacco varieties from the Basmi and Kabakulak variety groups produced conventionally and biologically, were used. Two types of extracts were investigated - crude extracts obtained by four solvents - 100% CH3OH, 60% CH3OH, H2O, and 96% C2H5OH, and purified extracts obtained by further purification of crude 60% methanolic extract using two techniques - solid phase extraction (SPE) and resin purification, Tobaccos from the variety group Basmi, conventionally grown, have a higher polyphenol content compared to the tobaccos from variety group Kabakulak. No significant difference was observed in the polyphenol contents of in conventionally and organically grown tobaccos of the same variety. The content of phenolic compounds in crude extracts by various solvents decreased in the following order: 60% CH3OH>H2O>100% CH3OH>96% C2H5OH. The crude and purified tobacco extracts showed high antioxidant activity determined by ABTS, FRAP and DPPH assays. The total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of 60% crude methanolic extracts were close to the SPE purified and resinpurified tobacco extracts
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