Total phenols,ascorbic acid, β-carotene and lycopene in Portuguese wild edible mushrooms and their antioxidant activities

The antioxidant activities of three Portuguese wild edible mushroom species, Leucopaxillus giganteus, Sarcodon imbricatus, andAgaricus arvensis, were evaluated. Methanolic extracts were screened for their reducing power, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging capacity, inhibition of erythrocytes hemolysis and antioxidant activity using the β-carotene linoleate model system. The amounts of ascorbic acid, β-carotene and lycopene found in the mushroom extracts were very low. Otherwise, the high contents of phenolic compounds might account for the good antioxidant properties found in all species. L. giganteus had the highest content of phenols and proved to be the most active, presenting lower EC₅₀ values in all the antioxidant activity assays.     

抗坏血酸再生叔丁基对苯二酚抗氧化能力的研究

研究脂溶性抗氧化剂叔丁基对苯二酚(TBHQ)被水溶性抗氧化剂抗坏血酸再生抗氧化能力的效果,并初步分析其再生作用机制.首先构建TBHQ与抗坏血酸的固液两相可分离体系,随后采用DPPH猝灭TBHQ的抗氧化能力,再加入固相包合物发现TBHQ抗氧化能力得到再生,且随着抗坏血酸添加量的增加而显著提升,添加量为0.6 g时再生效果...     

Apple polyphenoloxidase inactivation during heating in the presence of ascorbic acid and chlorogenic acid

It was recently reported that during osmotic dehydration of ascorbic acid (AA)-treated apple cubes, losses in AA and phenolics could partly arise from enzymatic oxidation, provided polyphenoloxidase (PPO) was still active under the processing conditions. To determine the impact of dehydration temperatures on PPO action, as well as chemical and enzymatic oxidation reactions, apple PPO inactivation alone or with AA (1 mM) and/or chlorogenic acid (CG, 3 mM), as well as AA and CG levels evolution, during heating of the model solutions at 45 and 60 °C were investigated. At pH 3.8, PPO was still functional, keeping 61 and 4% residual activity after 2 h of heating at 45 and 60 °C, respectively. The combined treatment of heating and AA was more effective in reducing PPO activity, while incubation at 60 °C with AA and CG minimised the losses of PPO activity. CG remained stable during heating, even in the presence of AA which, in turn, was more affected by heating. Thus, during heating, provided PPO remained active with enough available O₂ in the model systems, CG oxidation and coupled oxidoreduction with AA could readily develop.     

Use of kinetic, Weibull and PLSR models to predict the retention of ascorbic acid, total phenols and antioxidant activity during storage of pasteurized pineapple juice

In this study, the usefulness of different mathematical models to predict the retention of ascorbic acid (AA), total phenols (TP) and DPPH radical scavenging activity (SA) of pasteurized pineapple juices during storage has been evaluated. The results indicate that first-order kinetic model provided the best prediction of the degradation of AA (MAE = 0.0059; MRE = 0.0117; MSE = 0.0001; R² = 0.9995) whereas Weibull model provided the less satisfactory prediction (MAE = 0.2387; MRE = 0.2911; MSE = 0.0769; R² = 0.9993). In addition, zero-order (MAE = 0.0016; MRE = 0.0017; MSE = 0.0000; R² = 0.9992) and first-order (MAE = 0.0027; MRE = 0.0029; MSE = 0.0000; R² = 0.9989) kinetic models are adequate models for application in the prediction of TP loss, and first-order kinetic (MAE = 0.0294; MRE = 0.0549; MSE = 0.0015; R² = 0.9845) and Weibull (MAE = 0.0533; MRE = 0.0881; MSE = 0.0044; R² = 0.9823) models are recommended to predict the change of SA. These results show that the behaviors of AA, TP and SA during storage of juices can be accurately described by different prediction models. Therefore, the selection of the most adequate model is of great importance to predict nutritional deterioration in food products during storage.     

Effect of raw and cooked onion dietary fibre on the antioxidant activity of ascorbic acid and quercetin

The effect of cell walls (dietary fibre) from raw and cooked onions (Allium cepa L. red skinned variety) on two dietary antioxidants, l-ascorbic acid (AA) and quercetin, was investigated. Cell walls isolated from onion parenchyma tissues were incubated with AA or quercetin in HEPES buffer at pH 6.5 and 37 °C for 2 h. The resulting supernatants were analysed by the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Results show that onion cell walls effectively reduced AA degradation, but provided no protective effect against quercetin degradation, and may increase the degradation. This suggests some type of favourable interaction of the cell wall components with AA but not with quercetin. Cooking facilitates the extraction of cell wall polysaccharides and hence influences the extent of interaction of cell wall components and antioxidants. The redox behaviour of the antioxidants, the polysaccharide components of cell walls, and their relative extractabilities all appear to have important influences on the interactions.     

Curcumin–amino acid conjugates: Synthesis,antioxidant and antimutagenic attributes

Curcumin, a natural yellow colourant from turmeric, is insoluble in water. It has been rendered water-soluble by preparation of suitable amino acid derivatives. Several amino acid conjugates of curcumin were synthesised in high yields (45–76%). These curcumin derivatives were soluble in water at 1–10 mg/ml concentrations. Derivatives of curcumin with alkyl-substituted amino acids, such as alanine, valine, serine and cysteine, exhibited smaller IC₅₀ values (∼50%) than did curcumin in antioxidant assays. With respect to antimutagenicity against Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA 1531, the derivatives showed an effect stronger than or, in a few cases, similar to curcumin. These results clearly demonstrated that the conjugation of curcumin at the phenolic position with amino acids, while rendering the molecule water-soluble, led to the improvement of several of its in vitro biological attributes, the effect being more pronounced in the case of specific alkyl-substituted amino acids.     

Stability of patulin in a juice-like aqueous model system in the presence of ascorbic acid

In the present study, the stability of patulin in an aqueous juice-like model system was investigated. At acidic pH, the presence of ascorbic acid reduced the stability of patulin. After 34 days, patulin was reduced to 30% of its initial concentration in the presence of ascorbic acid compared to 68–71% in samples without ascorbic acid. Conditions during storage (presence of light, oxygen and/or metal ions) influenced the stability of patulin. Furthermore, it was possible to induce degradation of patulin by either generating hydroxyl radicals or by adding the rather stable radical diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Data from the present study indicate that patulin is decomposed by free radicals generated by oxidation of ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid. Rapid oxidation of ascorbic acid in the presence of oxygen, catalysed by free metal ions, resulted in a decrease of patulin. After complete oxidation of ascorbic acid, no further patulin degradation was observed. In contrast, slow oxidation of ascorbic acid in the presence of metal-chelators induced a continuous, slow oxidation of patulin. Due to low oxygen content in the headspace of a food package, addition of ascorbic acid to products such as apple juice, prior to filling, cannot be considered as an effective decontamination strategy.     

Degradation kinetics of ascorbic acid in encapsulated spray-dried honey powder packaged in aluminium laminated polyethylene and high-density polyethylene

The present study evaluated the stability of nutritionally rich encapsulated spray-dried honey powders in terms of hygroscopicity, glass transition temperature, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity and ascorbic acid using maltodextrin, gum arabic, and whey protein concentrate as carriers during a storage period of 180 days using high-density polyethylene and aluminium laminated polyethylene as packaging materials at 25°C (room temperature) and 35°C (accelerated temperature). The results revealed that temperature caused a negative influence on the glass transition temperature and stability of ascorbic acid. The kinetics of ascorbic acid degradation followed a first-order reaction with a reaction rate constant dependent on temperature and packaging material. Honey powder developed with whey protein concentrate as carrier agent and stored in aluminium laminated polyethylene pouches at 35°C possessed the highest antioxidant activity and ascorbic acid due to the presence of phenolic compounds in honey, aonla (Emblica officinalis. Gaertn), and basil (Ocimum sanctum) extract. The honey powders stored in aluminium laminated polyethylene pouches showed comparatively better antioxidant properties (total phenolic content, ascorbic acid, and antioxidant activity) and minimum hygroscopicity than the powders stored in high-density polyethylene at both the storage temperatures.     

The anti-inflammatory effect of lycopene complements the antioxidant action of ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol

Tomato foods contain bioactive compounds, such as lycopene, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol, which are assumed to show synergistic effects. The aim of the study was to investigate this presumed synergy. The effect on lipid peroxidation and inflammation was assessed. Lipid peroxidation was effectively inhibited by combinations of the compounds compared to the single compounds. Synergy between the combination of ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol was confirmed. Lycopene on its own effectively reduced inflammation by inhibiting the release of TNF-α and stimulating IL-10 production. The combination of lycopene, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol tended to display a synergistic interaction on IL-10 production. Our observations highlight that lycopene mitigates inflammation, whereas ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol efficiently protect against lipid peroxidation. Both activities are complementary since they diminish the process of inflammation differently on different levels. In relation to health, this is an added value of fruit and vegetables such as tomato products that contain complementary bio-active compounds.     

A screening method for the determination of ascorbic acid in fruit juices and soft drinks

A simple and rapid liquid chromatographic method based on a new stationary phase Teknokroma, Tr-010065 Mediterranea sea₁₈ (15 cm × 0.4 cm, id 3 μm), to determine ascorbic acid in beverages is reported. With the proposed method the samples were analysed by direct injection without a previous treatment. The total analysis time does not exceed 6 min. The method showed a good repeatability (RSD < 2%: n = 6) and an excellent sensitivity (LOD = 0.01 mg/l). Seventeen samples were analysed, including fruit juices, soft drinks and isotonic beverages. Ascorbic acid contents ranged from 6.6 to 840 mg/l. The ascorbic acid stability in some beverages during their shelf-life was also evaluated. Degradation of about 54% was observed in a tea drink.     

Effects of nicotinic acid derivatives on tyrosinase inhibitory and antioxidant activities

The tyrosinase inhibitory and antioxidant activities of four nicotinic acid derivatives, namely, nicotinamide, methyl nicotinate, nicotinic acid hydroxamate (NAH), N-methyl nicotinic acid hydroxamate (NAH-M), and kojic acid, were studied. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity was found to follow the trend: NAH > kojic acid > NAH-M > methyl nicotinate > nicotinamide. The concentrations of half-inhibition (IC₅₀) of NAH against monophenolase and diphenolase activity were 2 and 1 μM, respectively; the inhibition mode was a mixed-type in the former and an uncompetitive type in the latter. In the antioxidant activity assays, NAH and NAH-M, but not nicotinamide or methyl nicotinate, showed dose-dependent DPPH radical scavenging activity, and their corresponding IC₅₀ values were 65.81 and 125 μM, respectively. NAH and NAH-M also showed hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and anti-low-density-lipoprotein peroxidation. These results indicate that NAH and NAH-M have the potential to be useful in cosmetics or food processing, and therefore, they should be investigated further.     

Maintaining the quality of sugarcane juice with blanching and ascorbic acid

The physicochemical changes in fresh sugarcane juice stored at 10 °C were studied by determining juice yield, color, reducing sugar, titratable acidity, viscosity, pH, polyphenol oxidase (PPO), sucrose neutral invertase (SNI) and total microbial count. Results showed that blanching of stems before squeezing effectively prevented degreening and/or browning, and reduced activities of PPO and SNI in fresh sugarcane juice. Added ascorbic acid delayed the increase of reducing sugar, titratable acidity, viscosity and total microbial count, and also prevented degreening and/or browning with reduced PPO and SNI activities in fresh sugarcane juice during storage. Addition of 0.1% ascorbic acid seemed to be more effective than blanching of sugarcane stems, and was able to maintain the quality of fresh sugarcane juice for up to 5 days at 10 °C. Deterioration of fresh sugarcane juice was demonstrated as a rapid increase of titratable acidity and viscosity with a obvious browning.     

Antioxidant capacity,ascorbic acid,total phenols and carotenoids changes during harvest and after storage of Hayward kiwifruit

The influences of harvest time and storage on the quality indices and nutritional content of kiwifruit were evaluated. Antioxidant capacity, ascorbic acid, total phenol content, carotenoids, soluble solids content and flesh firmness were determined in kiwifruit gathered at two different time (T1: 17-11-2005 and T2: 24-11-2005) and stored at 0 °C, for 2 or 6 months (S1 and S2, respectively). At the end of the cool storage, fruits were maintained for a week at 25 °C (S1 + 7d and S2 + 7d).     

Synthesis of chitosan-caffeic acid derivatives and evaluation of their antioxidant activities

In this study, the antioxidant activities of different molecular weights (M_w) and grafting ratios of chitosan–caffeic acid derivatives were investigated. The grafting process was achieved using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDAC) as covalent connector under different conditions such as molecular-weight of chitosan, molar ratio of chitosan and caffeic acid, reaction temperature, pH, and reaction time. The half-inhibition concentrations (IC₅₀) of products were calculated by reduction of the 1,1-diphenyl picryl hydrazyl in the radical-scavenging assay and reduction of the Fe³⁺/ferricyanide complex to the ferrous form in reducing power assay. The EDAC showed maximum activity at 3-h, pH 5.0 and room temperature conditions, except high-molecular-weight chitosan in pH 2.0. The products were water-soluble in all pH and showed lower viscosity than native chitosan. The highest grafting ratio of caffeic acid was observed at 15% in low-molecular-weight chitosan. After 5% grafting of caffeic acid into chitosan, the grafting efficiency was increased by decreasing molecular-weight of chitosan at the same conditions. Caffeic acid has main role in the antioxidant activity of products. The maximum IC₅₀ of radical-scavenging activity (0.064 mg/ml) was observed at the highest caffeic acid containing derivative. Water-soluble chitosan and caffeic acid derivatives were obtained by this study without activity loss.     

Inhibition of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities on fresh-cut apple by simultaneous treatment of ultrasound and ascorbic acid

The effects of ultrasound and ascorbic acid on activity changes of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase, of fresh-cut apple during storage, were investigated. The combined treatment of ultrasound and ascorbic acid inactivated monophenolase, diphenolase, and peroxidase, whilst the individual treatment of ultrasound or ascorbic acid had inverse and limited inhibitory effect on the enzymes. The main protein bands had a molecular weight of approximately 63 kDa. A diffuse band, lacking the electrophoretic mobility of proteins, was observed after combined treatment. This investigation revealed that simultaneous treatment with ultrasound and ascorbic acid had synergistic inhibitory effects on several enzymes related to enzymatic browning.     

Evaluation of spectrophotometric methods for antioxidant compound measurement in relation to total antioxidant capacity in beverages

The validity of different colorimetric methods used to quantify various families of antioxidant compounds was evaluated with standard compounds. The colorimetric tests for global evaluation of flavonoids, anthocyans, and flavanols were found generally unreliable, as reactions could be different for individual compounds within a family (anthocyanins or flavonols or flavan-3-ols) and not specific to one family. In the flavonoid test, for example, flavonols reacted very well, anthocyanins did not react, and flavanons reacted only slightly. The same methods were applied also to beverages known for their antioxidant content (apple, orange, grape, and vegetable juices, ice tea, and red wine) and the data were compared with the results of HPLC analysis of specific compounds. The values obtained in a colorimetric test were generally higher than the sum of the values obtained for the corresponding individual compounds by HPLC analysis, mainly because other compounds can interfere with the colorimetric tests. For example, in wine, anthocyanin concentrations obtained by colorimetric test were 9068 ± 1407 μmol/100 ml (mean ± SEM), higher than the sum of the six main anthocyanidins detected by HPLC, only 41 μmol/100 ml. The relative antioxidant capacity values determined for beverages on the basis of colorimetric tests could exceed by far the values previously measured in radical-scavenging tests (for instance, the antioxidant capacity attributable to anthocyans in wine on the basis of the colorimetric test was 50 times higher than the total antioxidant capacity measured by the ORAC assay). In conclusion, colorimetric tests for flavonoids, anthocyans, and flavanols appeared generally unreliable for estimating their content and thus the antioxidant capacity reliable to these compounds.     

Antioxidant mechanism of grape procyanidins in muscle tissues: Redox interactions with endogenous ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol

The present study investigates the antioxidant mechanism of grape procyanidins and, in particular, their aptitude to establish redox interactions with two important components of the endogenous antioxidant system of muscle tissues, α-tocopherol (α-TOH) and ascorbic acid (AA). To this end, the progress of lipid oxidation was monitored in fish muscle supplemented with grape procyanidins at the concentrations usually employed in antioxidant food applications, and then related to the redox stability of the endogenous α-TOH and AA. In addition to the lipid oxidation protective effect, the incorporation of procyanidins also provided an improvement of the redox stability of the endogenous components in a straight procyanidinic concentration-dependent manner. Results showed the capacity of procyanidins to repair oxidised α-TOH at medium-long term, and to delay the AA depletion. Therefore, such cooperative redox interaction of exogenous procyanidins adequately complements the natural α-TOH regenerative system supplied by AA that is efficient at the early post mortem stages.     

Principal phenolic phytochemicals and antioxidant activities of three Chinese medicinal plants

The principal antioxidant components and content of cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia), turmeric (Curcuma longa) and golden thread (Coptidis rhizoma) extracts were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection. In general, C. cassia, C. longa and C. rhizoma extracts from domestic Taiwan were rich in cinnamaldehyde, curcumin, and berberin, respectively. The contents of cinnamaldehyde, curcumin, and berberin in the acetone extracts were 1911, 2029, and 840 mg l⁻¹, respectively. The Folin–Ciocalteu method was used to measure the total phenolic concentrations of extracts, which had the content of 9.6 (C. cassia), 2.6 (C. longa), and 4.3 (C. rhizoma) mM l⁻¹. In addition, DPPH radical-scavenging, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and ferric thiocyanate (FTC) assays were employed to measure antioxidant activities. The C. cassia fresh extracts had higher antioxidant activities which were 84–90% (DPPH), 17–33 μmol l⁻¹ (FRAP), and 53–82% (FTC). The activities of C. longa fresh extracts were 22–44% (DPPH), 7–11 μmol l⁻¹ (FRAP), and 53–81% (FTC) while C. rhizoma were 53–64% (DPPH), 18–26 μmol l⁻¹ (FRAP), and 59–82% (FTC).     

Effect of pasteurisation on ascorbic acid,dehydroascorbic acid,tocopherols and fatty acids in pooled mature human milk

Ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids (vitamin C), tocopherols (vitamin E) and unsaturated fatty acids are heat-sensitive and therefore, their concentrations in human milk could be affected by pasteurisation. Here we determined the concentrations of ascorbic acid plus dehydroascorbic acid, ascorbic acid alone, and α- and γ-tocopherols, and the percentages of fatty acids in samples of human milk after pasteurisation by a slow (62.5 °C, 30 min) or fast heating (100 °C, 5 min) procedure. Both methods led to a significant decrease in the concentrations of ascorbic acid plus dehydroascorbic acid (12% and 29%), ascorbic acid (26% and 41%), α-tocopherol (17% and 34%) and γ-tocopherol (13% and 32%), respectively. However, milk fatty acids, including the polyunsaturated long-chain fatty acids, were unaffected by the two methods. On the basis of these observations, we recommend that human milk be treated using a slow pasteurisation. In addition, we propose ascorbic acid as a marker of the degree of heat treatment.     

Stability of anthocyanins and ascorbic acid in sonicated strawberry juice during storage

The stability of anthocyanins and ascorbic acid in sonicated strawberry juice during storage was investigated. Strawberry juice was sonicated at varying acoustic energy densities (AEDs) ranging from 0.33 to 0.81 W/mL and treatment times of 0–10 min. The degradation kinetics of sonicated samples followed first-order kinetics. Degradation rate constants were linearly correlated with AED (R ² > 0.91). Selected samples were stored for 10 days at 4 and 20 °C. A second-order polynomial model was employed to investigate the effects of storage time and processing variables. During storage higher loses were observed at a storage temperature of 20 °C compared to 4 °C. Predictive models developed for anthocyanins and ascorbic acid content were highly significant (P < 0.0001) and closely correlated to the experimental data (R ² > 0.91). Degradation mechanisms for anthocyanins and ascorbic acid due to sonication and storage are proposed.