Antioxidant activity and β-glucan contents of hydrothermal extracts from maitake (Grifola frondosa)

Maitake (Grifola frondosa) was hydrothermally extracted at 4 different temperatures (121, 130, 140, and 150°C) for 30 and 60 min, and the total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity, and β-glucan content of the extracts was evaluated. The highest TPC was detected in the extract at 150°C treated for 60 min with 13.61 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g. The antioxidant activity of the maitake extracts, evaluated by determining DPPH radical scavenging activity (RSA), ABTS RSA, reducing power, and tyrosinase inhibitory activity increased with increasing treatment temperature and time. The content of β-glucan was the highest (5.13%) in the extract prepared at 140°C for 30min. These results suggest that hydrothermal extraction could be used as a tool to increase the antioxidant activity of maitake extracts.     

苦荞麸皮多酚抑制人结肠癌细胞Caco-2增殖活性研究

研究了产自重庆酉阳的苦荞(Fagopyrum tartaricum L.Gaerth,FG1)麸皮和四川西昌的苦荞(Fagopyyrum tartaricum L.Gaerth,FG2)麸皮中酚类化合物的含量、抗氧化和抗增殖活性。结果表明:FG1和FG2 2种苦荞麸皮总酚含量分别为(26.40±0.41)和(27.00±0.72)mg GAE/g DW,且游离态是其酚类化合物的主要存在形式(约占其总酚含量的93%);2种苦荞麸皮酚提取物均表现出一定的抗氧化性,并且FG2的抗氧化能力强于FG1(P0.05),FG1和FG2的DPPH自由基清除能力总IC50值分别为(39.56±2.76)和(24.69±0.33)μg·mL~(-1);还原力总EC_(50)值分别为(97.92±1.4)和(73.18±4.32)μg·mL~(-1);在抗增殖试验中,与对照组相比,FG1和FG2游离酚提取物均能明显抑制人结肠癌细胞Caco-2增殖(P0.05)。然而,在不产生细胞毒性的浓度范围内,其结合酚提取物却表现出极弱的抗增殖作用。     

Phenolic Profiles,Antioxidant Activities,and Neuroprotective Properties of Mulberry (Morus atropurpurea Roxb.) Fruit Extracts from Different Ripening Stages

The present work investigated the phenolic profiles (including nonanthocyanin and anthocyanin phenolics), antioxidant activities, and neuroprotective potential of mulberry fruit (MF) (Morus atropurpurea Roxb.) grown in China at different ripening stages. High‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry method (HPLC‐MS/MS) was used to identify and quantify the phenolic compounds. The antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total monomeric anthocyanin content (TAC) were determined using spectrophotometric methods. The neuroprotective effects of MFs at different ripening stages were investigated using Aβ_25‐35‐treated PC12 cells as the cellular model of Alzheimer's disease. Of the 19 phenolic compounds characterized from the MF extracts, the contents of rutin and anthocyanins increased and that of chlorogenic acid decreased significantly with maturity. At the fully ripened stage, MF extracts showed the highest amounts of TPC (11.23 mg gallic acid equivalents/g fresh weight), TFC (15.1 mg rutin equivalents/g fresh weight), and TAC (1177 mg cyanidin 3‐O‐glucoside equivalents/100 g fresh weight). Meanwhile, antioxidant activity of MF extracts at this stage was highest according to ABTS (an IC50 value of 4.11 μg/mL) and DPPH (an IC50 value of 10.08 μg/mL) assays. Cellular assays revealed increased cell viability in cells treated with the ripe MF extracts; compared with the control groups, the ripening fruits also increased the antioxidant enzyme levels in PC12 cells. Together, these results suggest that the antioxidant activities and neuroprotective properties of ripening MFs are related to the contents and types of phenolic compounds that are present in the fruits.     

Antioxidant properties of Phyllanthus amarus extracts as affected by different drying methods

The total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity of fresh and dried Phyllanthus amarus plant materials were evaluated using the Folin-Ciocalteau method, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Different drying treatments led to significant reduction (P<0.05) in antioxidant properties of P. amarus methanolic extracts, with microwave drying causing the highest decrease in TPC and antioxidant activity exhibited by the reduction in both radical scavenging activity and FRAP. On the other hand, boiling water extracts appeared to exhibit significantly stronger antioxidant potentials (P<0.05) even in dried plant materials due to greater solubility of compounds, breakdown of cellular constituents as well as hydrolysis of tannins. Its strong free radical scavenging activity suggests that it has great potential in the food industry as functional food ingredient.     

Optimization of Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Phenolics from Date Seeds and Characterization of its Antioxidant Activity

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was utilized for the first time to extract phenolics in date seeds. Orthogonal array design (OA₉ (3⁴)) was applied to optimize extraction variables including extraction temperature, extraction pressure, extraction time, and number of extraction. Optimum values of extraction variables were analyzed and number of extractions was found to have a significant effect on total phenolics content (TPC). Optimal SFE conditions for maximum yield of TPC were 50 °C, 350 bar, and two repeated extractions, each for 2 h. Under optimal condition, the TPC was increased to 441.57 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g fresh weight. Several phenolic compounds were detected in date seeds including chlorogenic acid, rutin, ellagic acid, quercetin, and two unidentified compounds of phenolic acids. In addition, phenolics of date seeds showed a higher antioxidant activity than ascorbic acid at the same concentration in the range of 1.0–8.0 mg/L.     

Physicochemical,functional and antioxidant properties of flour from pearl millet varieties grown in India

Indian pearl millet varieties were selected, milled to flour and studied for their proximate composition, hunter color, functional, and antioxidant properties. Proximate composition and hunter color values differed significantly (p < 0.05) among varieties. Hunter L* value was found the highest for HHB-223 flour whereas a*, b* and ΔE was the highest for W-445 flour. Flours also showed significant variations in their total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), antioxidant activity (DPPH) and metal chelating activity. Variety GHB-732 showed the highest values for TPC (3137 µg GAE/g) and DPPH (46.7 %) activity. TFC was, however, found the highest for HC-10 (2484 µg CE/g) variety. Several significant correlations were observed among different flour properties as revealed by both pearson correlations and principal component analysis. Formulation of chapatti resulted in decrease in TPC, TFC, DPPH values when compared to its flour. However, reverse was observed for metal chelating activity.     

Antioxidant and Free Radical Scavenging Capacity of Extensively Used Medicinal Plants in Sri Lanka

The burden of chronic diseases is rapidly increasing worldwide. Diet and nutrition are important factors in the promotion and maintenance of good health throughout the entire life course. Physiological and biochemical alterations in the human body may result in overproduction of free radicals leading to oxidative damage to biomolecules (e.g. lipids, proteins, DNA). Use of medicinal plant based products has increased recently because of their exerted beneficial properties such as antioxidant, anticancer, hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic activities. The present study was designed to assess the in vitro antioxidant activity and free radical scavenging capacity of ten medicinal plants which are extensively used in the Ayurvedic treatment systems in Sri Lanka. Water extracts were prepared and evaluated for their free-radical scavenging capacity and antioxidant activity using a number of chemical assays; DPPH, ABTS and FRAP. The total Phenolic (TPC) and Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) were also assessed. The TPC and TFC values of the extracts varied from 295.94±3.65 – 5.22±0.08 (mg Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE)/g dry weight) and 115.01±1.69 – 0.97±0.002 (mg Catechin Equivalent (CE)/g dry weight) respectively. The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities were higher for the Nelli (Phyllanthus emblica) extract while the least activity was observed in Venivel (Cosciniumfenestratum) extract. The FRAP activity of the extracts was well proved with the DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities. A positive, significant linear relationship between antioxidant activity and TPC and TFC content showed that phenolic compounds and flavonoids were the dominant antioxidant components in the medicinal herbs studied.     

Analysis of Phenolic Composition of Noble Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) by HPLC‐MS and the Relationship to Its Antioxidant Capacity

Abstract: Phenolic compounds and anthocyanins in muscadines have attracted much attention due to their diverse biological activities. With bioassays of antioxidant activities in terms of total phenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), total procyanidin content (TPA), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of different parts of the Noble muscadine, the butanol (BuOH) extract of the muscadine skin showed the highest TPC (317.91 ± 1.83 mg GAE/100 g FW), which might be ascribed to its high TAC of 227.06 ± 1.29 mg/100 g fresh weight (FW). The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract of the muscadine seed contained the highest TPA (55.30 ± 0.63 mg CE/100 g FW). Correlation analyses demonstrated a significant linear relationship of TPC and TAC compared to their ORAC and FRAP values within the range of R² from 0.9283 to 0.9936, which suggested that phenolics and anthocyanins in the extracts contributed significantly to their antioxidant potential. Nineteen individual phenolics and 5 anthocyanins were identified by HPLC‐MS, which indicated different chemical profiles of anthocyanins and other phenolics in the muscadine extracts. Practical Application: The paper has provided rich information of bioactive phytochemical profiles in different solvent extracts and their correlation with the antioxidant activity in the muscadine that is a very special regional fruit in U.S. Its high content of phenolic compounds demonstrates that muscadine could be beneficial to human health.     

Study of Antioxidant Activity of Biologically Active Compounds Isolated from Green Vegetables by Coupled Analytical Techniques

This study was carried out to determine the total antioxidant activity of selected green vegetables like kale and spinach. The antioxidant activity was expressed in radical scavenging activity (RSA). The generation of the DPPH· (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) free radical forms the basis of one of the spectrophotometric methods that has been applied to the measurement of the total antioxidant activity of extracts and solutions of pure substances. Among examined vegetables, spinach showed the highest total antioxidant activity. RSA values for samples of frozen spinach varied from 16.2% to 42.6%, but RSA for fresh spinach did not exceed 19.8%. Kale extracts were obtained by use of supercritical fluid extraction. The highest antioxidant activity was found for the first fraction of extracts, and it was 14.2% (for fraction obtained at pressure 258 bar and 5% methanol addition). Afterwards, lutein belonging to carotenoid group was determined in plant extracts by means of HPLC–UV-VIS. The concentration values of lutein ranged between 0.43 and 0.88 mg/g for three frozen spinach samples and 0.83 mg/g for fresh spinach. Lutein, has also antioxidant properties; therefore, RSA was determined for the standard solutions of lutein. However, the influence of lutein on the RSA values of spinach and kale is relatively low. Spinach, more than other analysed plants had an exceptionally high total polyphenol and flavonoid content.     

Analysis of flavonoids and phenolic acids in Greek aromatic plants: Investigation of their antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity

The phenolic fraction of plant extracts has been linked to their antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity. In the present paper, RP-HPLC with UV detection was employed to distinguish phenolic compounds from the other constituents of the plants examined. The phenolic substances were identified and quantified after comparison with reference standards. A GC–MS method is also presented for characterization of different phenolics as trimethylsilyl derivatives. The antioxidant capacity was determined, in dried plants and in their methanol extracts, with the Rancimat test using sunflower oil as substrate. Both pulverized plants and extracts showed antioxidant capacity. Total phenolic content in the extracts was determined spectrometrically applying the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. It ranged from 2.9 to 28.2 mg gallic acid/100 g dry sample. Antimicrobial activity of the extracts against selected microorganisms was also investigated.     

Comparative antioxidant activity of edible Japanese brown seaweeds

Japanese edible brown seaweeds, Eisenia bicyclis (Arame), Kjellmaniella crassifolia (Gagome), Alaria crassifolia (Chigaiso), Sargassum horneri (Akamoku), and Cystoseira hakodatensis (Uganomoku) were assayed for total phenolic content (TPC), fucoxanthin content, radical scavenging activities (DPPH, peroxyl radical, ABTS, and nitric oxide), and antioxidant activity in a liposome system. Among the solvents used for extraction, methanol was the most effective to extract total phenolics (TPC) from brown seaweeds. Among 5 kinds of brown seaweeds analyzed, methanol extract from C. hakodatensis was the best source for antioxidants. The high antioxidant activity of the extract was based not only on the high content of phenolics, but on the presence of fucoxanthin. No significant correlation (P > 0.05) was observed between TPC per gram extract with DPPH radical scavenging activity of the methanol extracts. These observed discrepancy would be due to structural variations in the phenolic compounds, and different levels of fucoxanthin in the extracts. The present study also demonstrated the synergy in the antioxidant activity of the combination of brown seaweed phenolics and fucoxanthin.     

青钱柳叶活性成分的抗氧化活性及UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS分析

利用96孔板法测定青钱柳叶不同溶剂(水、70%乙醇、乙酸乙酯和正己烷)提取物中总酚、总黄酮含量及抗氧化活性(DPPH自由基清除能力、还原能力、总抗氧化能力),考察酚类物质含量与抗氧化活性的相关性,并采用超高效液相色谱-四极杆飞行时间串联质谱(ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spetrometry,UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS)分析提取物中主要活性成分。结果表明:不同提取物中总酚、总黄酮含量及抗氧化活性存在显著性差异且70%乙醇溶液提取物表现出最高的总酚(219.01 mg GAE/g)、总黄酮含量(7.23 mg CE/g)及最强的DPPH自由基清除能力(35.46 mg TE/g)和还原能力(1.89 mmol Fe SO_4/g);总酚、总黄酮含量与DPPH自由基清除能力、还原能力之间呈正相关,与总抗氧化能力呈显著负相关,表明多酚类物质是青钱柳中主要的抗氧化剂。UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS分析70%乙醇溶液提取物并初步鉴定出22种化合物,包括2种有机酸、4种酚酸、5种黄酮、8种三萜皂苷类和3种酯类,其中酚酸和黄酮类化合物是主要的抗氧化活性成分,有机酸、三萜皂苷及酯类化合物可能是潜在的抗氧化活性成分。     

Relationship and correlation between antioxidant content and capacity,processing method and fruit colour of cactus pear fruit

Cactus pear fruit is a valuable source of antioxidants and could be an important functional ingredient in foods. Cultivars differ in fruit colour, which may indicate the presence of specific antioxidants. There is increased interest for cactus pear-derived products due to their potential nutraceutical effects, and determining antioxidant potential in processed foods is an important measure to ascertain the quality of a processed product. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship of fruit processing method and colour with antioxidant content and activity in fresh and processed cactus pear fruit. Antioxidant components (ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds, carotenes and betalains) and antioxidant activity (radical scavenging activity towards 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and iron chelating capacity) were determined in fresh and processed (juiced, dried, preserved and chutney) fruits from four different coloured cultivars (purple, green, orange and pink). The highest antioxidant content and potential was found in purple (O. robusta cv Robusta) fruit products, attributed to the highest levels of betalains (1140.4 mg kg^?1). Orange fruit (O. ficus-indica) products had the second highest levels, attributed to ascorbic acid and phenolics. Betalains were highly retained in all processed products, while ascorbic acid was mostly retained in the processed products that involved minimal heat treatment. Carotene and phenolic compounds became more available for extraction during processing and showed higher levels after processing. Principal component analysis makes it possible to identify fruit colours of fresh and processed products, which were mostly associated with a specific antioxidant. In the PCA biplot, PC1 (47.93%) and PC2 (21.93%) explained 69.15% of the total variation: a processing method rather than colour-correlated products in terms of antioxidant content and potential. PCA indicated that fresh purple fruit was correlated with chelating activity and betalains, while orange fruit was clustered with phenolics, ascorbic acid, carotene and DPPH. For the processed fruit products, most were clustered together with chelating activity, DPPH and the antioxidants. Orange and pink dried products had high ascorbic acid, phenolics, carotene and DPPH values, while dried and fresh purple fruit had high betalain content and chelating activity.     

Antioxidant Activity and Total Phenolic Content in Some Cereals and Legumes

The antioxidant activities and total phenolic content of 4 cereals (buckwheat, wheat germ, barley, and rye) and 4 legume seeds (lentils, mungo bean, red kidney bean, and soy bean) were determined. The total phenolic content (TPC), determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method, for cereal samples varied from 13.2 to 50.7 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g of dried extract, while for legume samples varied from 17.0 to 21.9 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g of dried extract. Antioxidant activities were comparatively assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity, ferric ion-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method. The tested plant extracts showed promising antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity, thus justifying their traditional use. Among examined cereals all the applied methods, except TBA method, have shown that buckwheat have the highest antioxidant activity, while among examined legumes results varied depending on the method used.     

Polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity of thirteen faba bean (Vicia faba L.) genotypes cultivated in Tunisia

In vitro antioxidant capacity of thirteen genotypes of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) collected during three different growing stages (vegetative, reproductive and maturity) have been evaluated. For the vegetative stage (VS) and reproductive stage (RS) the whole plant (WP) has been used for the analysis while for the maturity stage (MS) the plant was divided and analyzed in different parts, the whole seed (WS), seed coat (SC), cotyledons (Cot) and pod (Pod). The antioxidant capacity has been evaluated by means of the total phenolic and total flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC respectively), the ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assays. The results showed different antioxidant properties for the same genotype when considering the different parts or stages of the plant. High content of both total phenolics (> 92.85 mg as gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g of dried plant) and flavonoids contents (> 11.87 mg as rutin equivalent (RE)/g of dried plant) were found for all genotypes during the vegetative and the reproductive stages, which also showed the highest antioxidant activity (FRAP value ≥ 1.157 mmol/g and DPPH radical-scavenging capacity > 43.49%), indicating their potential as natural sources of antioxidant foods. For the maturity stage, the highest values for the TPC, TFC, FRAP and DPPH scavenging capacity were observed for the pods and the lowest for the cotyledons.The results of this study indicate that faba beans are a good source of natural antioxidants independently to their genotype. The quantification of the antioxidant capacity according to the stage and the plant part could be suitable for applications on the food industry in relation to production and preservation of faba bean food products.     

Effects of Various Heat Treatments on Phenolic Profiles and Antioxidant Activities of Pleurotus eryngii Extracts

Free (FP) and bound phenolics (BP) were extracted from freeze dried (FD), oven dried (OD), as well as boiling treated (BT) Pleurotus eryngii samples. Free, bound, total phenolics were quantified using Folin–Ciocalteau assay. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of phenolic compounds were carried out using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with diode array detector (DAD), and a total of 8 phenolic compounds were detected. Free phenolic contents followed the order: Freeze‐dried free phenolics (FDFP) > Oven‐dried free phenolics (ODFP) > Boiling‐treated free phenolics (BTFP), and ranged from 95.42 (BTFP) to 442.50 (ODPF) μg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight (DW). Bound and total phenolic contents followed the order: FD > OD > BT, and ranged from 218.33 (BTBP) to 774.17 (FDBP) and 313.75 (BT total phenolics) to 1090.42 (FD total phenolics) μg GAE/g DW. Bound phenolics contributed 49.76% (OD), 69.59% (BT), and 71% (FD) of the total phenolic contents. All free and bound phenolic extracts were investigated for their antioxidant activities by 3 different assays, 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, reducing power, and superoxide anion radical scavenging activity. FDFP showed strongest DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ at 32.61 μg/mL), ODFP showed strongest reducing power (IC₅₀ at 26.31 μg/mL), and BTBP showed strongest superoxide anion radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ at 14.07 μg/mL).     

Drying kinetics,colour, total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity properties of kiwi dried by different methods

This study analysed the convective (60, 70 and 80° C), microwave (120 and 350 W) and freeze drying methods in terms of their effects on the drying characteristics, colour, total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity of kiwi slices. Nine different mathematical models were applied to experimental data to achieve the most accurate calculation for drying curves. The Midilli et al. and Wang and Singh models proved to be the most suitable at explaining the drying kinetics of kiwi samples as compared to other models according to the statistical tests. Each drying method was significantly affected by colour parameters (L*, a*, b*, C, α and ΔE). The dried samples exhibited respectively 5–49 % and 10–47 % less TPC and antioxidant capacity compared to the fresh sample. According to the correlation analysis conducted between TPC and antioxidant capacity for kiwi slices, there is a positive correlation (R ²  = 0.7796). Microwave dried samples at 120 W particularly had the lowest TPC and antioxidant capacity. Freeze drying method yielded the closest values with respect to colour values, total phenol content and antioxidant capacity to those of fresh samples when compared to the other methods.     

Selection of the Solvent and Extraction Conditions for Maximum Recovery of Antioxidant Phenolic Compounds from Coffee Silverskin

The extraction of antioxidant phenolic compounds from coffee silverskin (CS) was studied. Firstly, the effect of different solvents (methanol, ethanol, acetone, and distilled water) on the production of antioxidant extracts was evaluated. All the extracts showed antioxidant activity (FRAP and DPPH assays), but those obtained with methanol and ethanol had significantly higher (p?<?0.05) DPPH inhibition than the remaining ones. Due to the lower toxicity, ethanol was selected as extraction solvent, and further experiments were performed in order to define the solvent concentration, solvent/solid ratio, and time to maximize the extraction results. The best condition to produce an extract with high content of phenolic compounds (13 mg gallic acid equivalents/g CS) and antioxidant activity [DPPH?=?18.24 μmol Trolox equivalents/g CS and FRAP?=?0.83 mmol Fe(II)/g CS] was achieved when using 60 % ethanol in a ratio of 35 ml/g CS, during 30 min at 60–65 °C.     

Total Phenolic Compounds, Flavonoids, and Radical Scavenging Activity of 21 Selected Tropical Plants

ABSTRACT:  Free radical scavenging activity of 21 tropical plant extracts was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay (DPPH). Total phenolic compounds and flavonoids were determined using Folin–Ciocalteu and HPLC, respectively. Results of the study revealed that all the plants tested exhibited excellent antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ in the range of 21.3 to 89.6 μg/mL. The most potent activity was demonstrated by  Cosmos caudatus  (21.3 μg/mL) and  Piper betle  (23.0 μg/mL) that are not significantly different than that of     -tocopherol or BHA.  L. inermis  extract was found to consist of the highest concentration of phenolics, catechin, epicatechin, and naringenin. High content of quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol were identified in  Vitex negundo ,  Centella asiatica , and  Sesbania grandiflora  extracts, respectively. Luteolin and apigenin, on the other hand, were found in  Premna cordifolia  and  Kaempferia galanga  extracts. Strong correlation ( R  = 0.8613) between total phenolic compounds and total flavonoids ( R  = 0.8430) and that of antioxidant activity of the extracts were observed. The study revealed that phenolic, in particular flavonoids, may be the main contributors to the antioxidant activity exhibited by the plants.
Practical Application: Potent antioxidant from natural sources is of great interest to replace the use of synthetic antioxidants. In addition, some of the plants have great potential to be used in the development of functional ingredients/foods that are currently in demand for the health benefits associated with their use.     

Antioxidant activity of Camellia sinensis leaves and tea from a lowland plantation in Malaysia

Methanol extracts of fresh tea leaves from a lowland plantation in Malaysia were screened for total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AOA). AOA evaluation included 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging ability, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and ferrous-ion chelating (FIC) ability. Ranking, based on TPC and AOA, was as follows: shoots > young leaves > mature leaves. TPC and AOA of lowland leaves were comparable to those of highland plants. A green tea produced by drying young leaves in a household microwave oven for 4 min showed significantly higher TPC and AOA than did four commercial brands of green and black tea.