Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Raspberry and Blackberry Cultivars

ABSTRACT: Raspberry (Aksu Kırmızısı, Rubin, Newburgh, Hollanda Boduru, Heritage) and blackberry (Bursa 1, Bursa 2, Jumbo, Chester) cultivars were assayed for antioxidant activity (determined as 2,2-azino-di-[3-ethylbenzothialozine-sulphonic acid][ABTS], 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical [DPPH], and cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity [CUPRAC]), total phenol, total flavonoid, and total anthocyanin contents. In addition, 10 anthocyanins and anthocyanidins were determined in raspberry and blackberry by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Raspberry and blackberry had the highest ABTS, DPPH, CUPRAC, total phenol, and total flavonoid contents in methanol extracts, whereas total anthocyanin contents were the highest in water extracts. The antioxidant activity of the raspberry and blackberry was directly related to the total amount of phenolic compounds detected in the raspberry and blackberry. All antioxidant activity values were highly correlated with anthocyanin content in blackberry (0.93 ≤ r ≤ 0.99, P = 0.05). On the other hand, high correlation between total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity was recorded in water extract of blackberry (0.91 ≤ r ≤ 0.93, P = 0.05). ABTS value was highly correlated with total flavonoid content in methanol extract (r = 0.90), whereas total flavonoid content was relatively less correlated with DPPH (r = 0.85) and CUPRAC (r = 0.89).     

聚类法分析不同品种树莓的加工特性

以15 个不同品种的树莓鲜果为实验材料,对果实的组成分、理化指标、VC、粗蛋白、总酚和花色苷含量进行测定分析。通过聚类分析,筛选出适合不同树莓产品加工的品种。结果表明：不同品种树莓的硬度值、果实出汁率、可溶性固形物含量、可滴定酸含量、糖酸比差异较大,硬度值在18.20～49.50 g之间,‘Cuthbert’硬度值最小（18.20 g）,硬度值最大的为‘米克2号’（49.50 g）,出汁率分布变幅为58.27%～79.80%,其中‘Cuthbert’出汁率最低（58.27%）,出汁率最高的为‘Creston’（79.80%）。可溶性固形物含量在6.86%～10.60%之间,可溶性固形物含量最高的为‘Cuthbert’（10.60%）,最低的为‘菲尔杜德’（6.86%）。糖酸比最大的为‘Sunrise’（7.42）,‘Willamette’糖酸比值最小（1.75）。15 个树莓品种的多酚氧化酶、过氧化物酶的活性和色泽稳定性差异较大。VC含量在6.86～10.60 mg/100 g之间;粗蛋白含量分布变幅为0.70～1.49 g/100 g;总酚含量在1.41～3.44 g/100 g之间。花色苷含量介于72.35～393.88 mg/100 g之间。初步评价：第1类的‘Rideau’、‘米克1号’和‘米克2号’,适合于果汁、果酒类产品的加工;‘Zeva Remontant’、‘Nova’适合树莓罐头类产品加工;适合加工果脯类产品的‘Willamette’、‘Omet’、‘Festival’和‘Sunrise’为第2类。‘Rideau’、‘米克1号’、‘米克2号’、‘Willamette’、‘Sunrise’和‘Nova’这6 个品种果实综合品质比较好,是适合于进一步树莓栽培品种选育和深加工的良好品种。     

Chemical and antioxidant properties of pomegranate cultivars grown in the Mediterranean region of Turkey

Arils from six pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars obtained from various sites from the Mediterranean region of Turkey were evaluated for their chemical and antioxidant properties. These properties included total phenolics (TP), total monomeric anthocyanins (TMA), soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), individual sugars and organic acids. Antioxidant capacities of arils were determined by both the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays. The antioxidant capacities averaged 5.60 and 7.35 mmol TE/l by the TEAC and FRAP methods. Variability among cultivars was greatest for TMA content (CV 132%); individuals ranged from 6.1 to 219 mg cy3-Gluc l⁻¹. TP means averaged 1507 mg GAE/l. Levels of FRAP, TEAC, TP, and TMA were strongly correlated (r = 0.82–0.96). The major sugars were fructose (6.4 g/100 ml) and glucose (6.8 g/100 ml), the major acids were citric (1.78 g/100 ml) and malic (0.12 g/100 ml).     

Antioxidant capacities,carotenoids and polyphenols evaluation of fresh and refrigerated peach and nectarine cultivars from Italy

Chemical–physical properties, colour parameters, antioxidant activities (AA), carotenoid and polyphenol levels (CL) in seven cultivars of yellow flesh peaches, five cultivars of yellow flesh nectarines and one cultivar of white flesh nectarines at harvest time and after 7 days of cold storage were evaluated. Peaches had major variability in flesh firmness (FF) and titratable acidity (TA) and lower soluble solid concentration (SSC) than nectarines. Evaluation of ground colour parameters, a*, b* and L*, showed that nectarines had a yellow-orange hue with high lightness, while peaches were darker, tending to red-green. Hydrophilic, lipophilic antioxidant activities of extracts (W-AA and L-AA), carotenoids and polyphenols levels (CL and PL) were evaluated and their relation with commercial maturation. The average of W-AA at harvest time was 11.0 TEAC, while the L-AA values at harvest time was on average higher in peaches (2.0 TEAC) than in nectarines (1.3 TEAC). The yellow flesh had higher amounts of total carotenoids (182.45 μg/100 g fw for peaches and 117.37 μg/100 g fw for yellow flesh nectarines). During cold storage, W-AA increased for nectarines (+22.9% in yellow flesh and +19.2% in white flesh) and peaches as well as polyphenolic compounds (+13.37%) while, contents of carotenoids decreased (−8.7%).     

CHEMICAL AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF CULTIVATED AND WILD FRAGARIA AND RUBUS BERRIES

ABSTRACT

Content of individual sugars, organic acids, total phenolics (TPH), some important phenolic compounds (kaempferol, myricetin, quercetin, and ellagic acid) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the fruits of strawberry, raspberry and blackberry were studied. A comparison was made between cultivars and wild relatives of each species (Fragaria vesca L., Rubus idaeus L. and Rubus fruticosus L.). The main sugars found were fructose and glucose both in the fruits of wild species and the studied cultivars. Citric acid was determined to be the major organic acid in most of tested berries with the exception of blackberry cultivars, where malic acid was dominant. The content of individual phenolic compounds varied among the wild species, as well as among the studied cultivars. Ellagic acid content was higher in F. vesca, R. idaeus and R. fruticosus (122.5 µg/g FW, 12.71 µg/g FW and 61.7 µg/g FW, respectively) than that obtained in analyzed cultivars. Overall, TPH expressed higher values in the wild strawberry and blackberry species in comparison to the studied cultivars, and consequently, the highest levels of TAC were recorded in F. vesca (5.78 mg asc/g FW), followed by R. fruticosus (4.95 mg asc/g FW).

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

In recent years, both wild and cultivated berries have become very attractive for consumers because of potentially beneficial phytochemicals contained in these fruits. Fruit nutritional quality can be described by standard quality parameters (sugars and organic acids), and the analysis of antioxidant capacity influenced by specific related compounds. The importance of flavonoids and other phenolics have been suggested to play a preventive role in the development of cancer and heart disease. A significant positive correlation observed in this study between total phenolics and total antioxidant capacity indicate the need for the use of wild species in the breeding programs of small fruits, especially strawberry and blackberry, in order to increase their nutritive value and the health benefits.     

Evaluation of bioactive properties of Indian carrot (Daucus carota L.): A chemometric approach

Sixteen Indian commercial carrot cultivars were analysed for variations in β-carotene, total phenolics, total flavonoids, total monomeric anthocyanin and antioxidant activity. Antioxidant activity was measured using four in vitro assays viz. ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), cupric reducing antioxidant power (CUPRAC), 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assays (TEAC). Additionally six colour attributes were evaluated. Among carrot cultivars, significant differences (p < 0.05) were obtained with respect to antioxidant composition and antioxidant activity. Total phenols and total flavonoids varied from 7.98 to 291.48 mg/100 g fresh weight (fw) and 3.00 to 111.70 mg/100 g fw respectively. Chemometric tools like principal component analysis (PCA) and agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) were applied to understand possible classification Indian carrot cultivars based on colour properties, bioactive antioxidant compounds and antioxidant potentiality. PCA revealed that the first two components represented 92.9% of the total variability in the total variation. AHC classified cultivars into four main groups on the basis of the measured parameters. Black coloured genotype was found to be rich source of phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanin with very high antioxidant activity. Orange cultivars were found to be rich sources for β-carotene compared to red & black cultivars.     

Potential bioactive compounds in health promotion from broccoli cultivars grown in Spain

Glucosinolates, phenolic compounds and vitamin C were evaluated in two commercial and 12 experimental cultivars of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L var italica) grown under uniform cultural conditions. The predominant glucosinolates in all broccoli cultivars were 4‐methylsulphinylbutyl glucosinolate (glucoraphanin) and 3‐indolylmethyl glucosinolate (glucobrassicin). Other glucosinolates such as 4‐OH‐glucobrassicin and N‐methoxyglucobrassicin were detected in lower amounts. The total glucosinolate concentration ranged from 3.0 µmol g^?1 dw (dry weight) in Pentathlon (experimental cultivar) to 28.3 µmol g^?1 dw in I‐9905 (experimental cultivar). Flavonoids, caffeic acid derivatives and sinapic acid derivatives were quantified in methanol extracts. The largest content of flavonoids was found in the commercial cultivars Marathon and Lord, around 60 mg kg^?1 fw (fresh weight). The vitamin C content of broccoli ranged from 43.1 mg per 100 g fw in Lord (commercial cultivar) to 146.3 mg per 100 g fw in SG‐4515 (experimental cultivar). © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Physicochemical Characteristics,Antioxidant Activity,Organic Acid and Sugar Contents of 12 Sweet Cherry (Prunus Avium L.) Cultivars Grown in Turkey

Physical characteristics, antioxidant activity and chemical constituents of 12 cultivars (Prunus avium L.) of sweet cherry (Belge, Bing, Dalbasti, Durona di Cesena, Lambert, Merton Late, Starks Gold, Summit, Sweetheart, Van, Vista, and 0–900 Ziraat) were investigated. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed among tested cultivars for pH, total soluble solid, hardness, color parameters, antioxidant activities and pomological measurements (P < 0.05). The color parameters were important tools for the determination of fruit maturity and anthocyanin contents. Belge cultivar showed the highest levels of total phenolic and anthocyanin, while Starks Gold contained the lowest level of anthocyanins. The darker cultivars, measured by ABTS^+?, DPPH^? and FRAP, exhibited higher antioxidant activities than the lighter ones. Bing (42.78 g/kg) and Sweetheart (40.53 g/kg) cultivars contained higher levels of malic acid, which was the most intense organic acid in sweet cherries. Four different sugars were observed in the samples and their concentrations ordered as glucose > fructose >> sucrose > xylose. Sugar alcohol in the cherries was represented by sorbitol (more than 90%) and its concentration varied between 13.93 and 27.12 g/kg. As a result significant differences were observed among the physical properties and chemical constituents of the cherry cultivars.     

Phenolic compounds in strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) fruits: Composition in 27 cultivars and changes during ripening

Phenolic compounds in fruits of 27 cultivars of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) grown in Norway were characterised and quantified by HPLC-DAD-MSⁿ. Total phenolic content, calculated as the sum of the individual compounds, varied 2.3-fold among cultivars, i.e., from 57 to 133 mg/100 g of fw. There were significant differences among cultivars in concentration of all phenolic compounds. The highest variation between cultivars was found for cinnamoyl glucose (0.6-24.9 mg/100 g of fw). Concentration of anthocyanins, the most abundant class of phenolic compounds in the majority of the cultivars, varied from 8.5 to 65.9 mg/100 g of fw. Flavan-3-ols (11-45 mg/100 g of fw) and ellagitannins (7.7-18.2 mg/100 g of fw) contributed on average 28% and 14% to total phenolic contents in the strawberry cultivars, respectively. In three cultivars harvested at three stages of ripeness, anthocyanins and cinnamic acid conjugates were the compounds most affected by ripening. The anthocyanin profile for the individual cultivars was only slightly affected by ripening and growing conditions.     

Differentiation of raspberry varieties according to anthocyanin composition

 Four Spanish raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cultivars, Autumn Bliss, Heritage, Rubi, and Ceva, were studied in order to determine, qualitatively and quantitatively, both anthocyanins and vitamin C composition, owing to their significance as dietary compounds with antioxidant activity and also to the relation with color quality. Raspberry anthocyanin composition, determined by HPLC and GC-MS, was characteristic to each cultivar. The higher anthocyanin content expressed as cyanidin-3-glucoside was found in the late cultivars, Rubi (96.08 mg/100 g f.w.) and Ceva (122.88 mg/100 g f.w.). Three cultivars showed cyanidin-3-sophoroside (63.86–21.91 mg/100 g f.w.) and cyanidin-3-glucoside (25.12–14.00 mg/100 g f.w.) as the major pigments, while Autumn Bliss had a similar relative amount of cyanidin derivatives, cyanidin-3-rutinoside being the pigment in major concentration (10.53 mg/100 g f.w.). The vitamin C contents were determined by HPLC. The Rubi cultivar showed the highest amount of vitamin C (31.14 mg/100 g f.w.). The organic acids were determined by HPLC as fruit constituents related to color quality. Citric acid was the main non-volatile organic acid (90%) in all raspberry cultivars and the Rubi cultivar showed the highest total non-volatile organic acids content (2003 mg/100 g f.w.). Hunter color CIE values were also determined, showing that Rubi was the reddest raspberry cultivar. Received: 28 May 1998     

Main quality attributes and antioxidants in Hungarian sour cherries: identification of genotypes with enhanced functional properties

Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) cultivars native to Hungary and some of them grown worldwide, display great phenotypic variability. Eleven sour cherry cultivars were analysed for their main quality attributes including fruit weight, soluble solid content, acidity, pH, specific sugars (glucose and fructose), antioxidant capacity as well as total polyphenolic (TPC), total anthocyanin (TMAC) and vitamin C contents. Results showed wide variation in both fruit quality and antioxidant parameters of Hungarian sour cherries. The anthocyanin contents varied from 11.3 to 93.5 mg/100 g. An amarelle‐type cultivar, ‘Pipacs 1’ showed the highest antioxidant capacity (21.85 mmol AA L^?1), TPC (49.04 mg GA L^?1) and vitamin C (8.98 mg/100 g) content. Key enzymes in anthocyanin biosynthesis were expressed in both yellow‐coloured flesh and red skin of ‘Pipacs 1’ fruits at all ripening stages. The detected diversity presents a choice that can satisfy different consumer preferences, and meet specific nutritional requirements.     

Variation in the content of glucosinolates,hydroxycinnamic acids,carotenoids, total antioxidant capacity and low‐molecular‐weight carbohydrates in Brassica vegetables

Bioactive compounds were investigated in genotypes (cauliflower 10, white cabbage 10, curly kale 1) and plant parts of the three crops. The content of most of the major glucosinolates glucobrassicin, sinigrin and glucoiberin differed significantly between cultivars. Samples harvested in 2000 had higher amounts of several glucosinolates than samples from 1999. Within cauliflower the buds of the floret had 1.5 to 2.5‐fold higher concentration of glucobrassicin and 4‐methoxyglucobrassicin than the stalk. In white cabbage several glucosinolates had their highest content in the outer leaves (up to 2‐fold higher). Upper leaves of curly kale contained 5‐fold more of total glucosinolates than lower leaves. Chlorogenic acid was the dominating hydroxycinnamate in curly kale, which also contained at least ten times more of carotenoids (mainly lutein) than white cabbage. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assayed with the FRAP method was 0.76 (0.06) µmol/g fw (mean (SD)) in water‐soluble and 0.32 (0.04) in water‐insoluble extracts of cauliflower which was 62–68% higher than in white cabbage. Curly kale contained 6.4 and 6.1 µmol/g fw TAC in water‐soluble and water‐insoluble extracts. TAC did not differ between plant parts. Progoitrin and 4‐hydroxyglucobrassicin were correlated to water‐soluble TAC in white cabbage, probably reflecting a variation in other compounds. Cauliflower contained less glucose, fructose and sorbitol but more sucrose than white cabbage. Curly kale had lower contents of glucose (～2 times), fructose (～4–5 times) and sucrose (20 and 36 times, respectively) than cauliflower and white cabbage, while inositol was only found in curly kale. Storage of white cabbage reduced the amount of sorbitol and sucrose. The study shows that cultivar, plant part and storage affect the content of bioactive compounds in Brassica vegetables. The variation between years, as in cauliflower, is due to environmental factors. Since the cultivar ranking order was rather stable for several components the data could provide a basis for the selection of cultivars optimised for valuable health components for fresh market consumption. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Amount of characteristic compounds in 15 cultivars of onion (Allium cepa L.) in controlled field trials

BACKGROUND: In order to develop the production of sweet onions (Allium cepa L.) and onions with a high content of flavonols and fibre in Norway, it was necessary to evaluate available cultivars with respect to their content of selected chemical compounds. A field trial with 15 different cultivars was conducted at Landvik in southern Norway. Compounds that reflect onion pungency and sweetness (pyruvate, sugars) and parameters known to have a beneficial impact on health (fructo‐oligosaccharides (FOS), flavonols, antioxidant capacity) were analysed. RESULTS: The sweetest onions with respect to low content of pyruvate and high amount of fructose and glucose ranged in pyruvate content from 2.7 to 3.6 µmol mL^?1. These cultivars were juicy and contained low amounts of FOS and total flavonols. The most pungent onions contained the highest amounts of FOS among the cultivars: 4.53, 3.80 and 5.81 g per 100 g fresh weight (FW) respectively. They also had a high content of flavonols (86.6, 159.2 and 97.6 mg per 100 g FW) and high dry weight content (14.6, 13.5 and 15.6 g per 100 g). CONCLUSION: The sweetest onion cultivars were found to be ‘NUN 9746’, ‘Musica’, ‘Domenica Supersweet’, ‘Colossus’ and ‘Cronus’. The most pungent cultivars were ‘Powell Brown’ and ‘Tilbury’, which also contained the highest amounts of flavonols and gave the highest Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) values among the 15 cultivars. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Antioxidant properties of domesticated and wild Rubus species

The antioxidative capacities of a number of Rubus species of varied pigmentation have been investigated. In addition, total phenol, anthocyanin and ascorbic acid contents have been determined. Two methods to assess the antioxidant potential of fruit juices have been used. The antioxidant capacities of the fruit ranged from 0 to 25.3 µmol Trolox equivalents g⁻¹ (TEAC) or from 190 to 66 000 µmol l⁻¹ ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Ascorbic acid contributes only minimally to the antioxidant potential of Rubus juices (<10%, TEAC). There are apparent linear relationships between antioxidant capacity (assessed as both TEAC and FRAP) and total phenols (r_xy = 0.6713 and 0.9646 respectively). Also, anthocyanin content has a minor influence on antioxidant capacity (r_xy = 0.3774, TEAC; r_xy = 0.5883, FRAP). The sample with the highest antioxidant capacity (Rubus caucasicus) had the highest phenol content, but only a low percentage was represented by anthocyanins. The present study demonstrates the potential of certain wild Rubus species, notably R caucasicus, for improvement of nutritional value through germplasm enhancement programmes. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Relation between bioactive compounds and free radical‐scavenging capacity in berry fruits during frozen storage

In this work the correlation between the free radical‐scavenging capacity and bioactive compounds (anthocyanins, ellagic acid, total phenolics and vitamin C) in four Spanish raspberry cultivars (Heritage, Autumn Bliss, Zeva and Rubi) and Spanish wild blackberry as affected by freezing and frozen storage was evaluated. From this mathematical study a significant correlation was obtained between the radical‐scavenging capacity and the anthocyanin and total phenolic contents in both raspberry (r = 0.85 and 0.83 respectively) and blackberry (r = 0.84 and 0.68 respectively) fruits, but no correlation was found between this parameter and the ellagic acid and vitamin C contents. A key objective of this study was to select the raspberry cultivar most suitable for freezing preservation in terms of the stability of its health‐promoting constituents. A two‐dimensional principal component analysis (PCA) of the raspberry cultivars explained 82% of the total variance of the factors mentioned above. The early raspberry cultivars (Heritage and Autumn Bliss) showed a lower content of bioactive compounds and lower radical‐scavenging capacity, while the late cultivars (Zeva and Rubi) showed higher values, and these differences were clearly displayed by the PCA. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Fatty Acid Composition and Trans Fatty Acids in Crisps and Cakes in Turkey's Markets

In this study, trans fatty acid and fatty acid composition of 57 crisps and 50 cakes sold in the markets in Turkey were determined. C 18:1, oleic acid, was the major fatty acid in all crisps and cake samples. The percentages of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ranged between 27.98–46.57, 35.73–47.57, and 9.86–35.90 g/100 g fatty acids in crisps and 35.41–54.03, 25.89–44.87, and 10.52–26.97 g/100 g fatty acids in cakes, respectively. Total trans fatty acids ranged from 0.02 to 1.35 g/100 g fatty acids in crisps and 0.00 to 5.05 g/100 g fatty acids in cakes, respectively.     

Textural Characteristic,Antioxidant Activity,Sugar, Organic Acid,and Phenolic Profiles of 10 Promising Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) Selections

Abstract: Ten promising jujubes were analyzed for textural characteristic (hardness), antioxidant activity, sugar, organic acid, and phenolic profiles. Total phenolic content (TP) measured by Folin–Ciocalteu method ranged from 275.6 to 541.8 mg of gallic acid equivalents per 100 g fresh weight (mg GAE/100 g FW). Four sugars (rhamnose, fructose, sucrose, and glucose), 3 organic acids (malic, citric, and succinic acids), and 11 phenolic compounds (gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, cinnamic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, ellagic acid, catechin, epicatechin, rutin, and quercetin) were identified and quantified by high‐performance liquid chromatography in jujube fruits. The results showed that ascorbic acid and proanthocyanidins contents were positively correlated with hardness, and antioxidant activity was well correlated with TP content. Among 10 jujube cultivars, Zizyphus jujuba cv. Qingjianmuzao is good for direct consumption containing high levels of total soluble solids, total sugars, fructose, and glucose, while Zizyphus jujuba cv. Jiaxianmuzao could be an important dietary source of natural antioxidants. Practical Application: Genotype is the main factor influencing the composition of bioactive compounds in jujubes. Zizyphus jujuba cv. Qingjianmuzao is good for direct consumption, while Zizyphus jujuba cv. Jiaxianmuzao could be an important dietary source of natural antioxidants for prevention of diseases caused by oxidative stress.     

COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS OF FOUR RED RASPBERRY CULTIVARS GROWN IN MAINE

The compositional characteristics (total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, moisture, pectin, reducing sugars, nonreducing sugars and total sugars) of four raspberry cultivars (‘Boyne’, ‘Festival’, ‘Killarney’ and ‘Prestige’) grown in Maine were evaluated during three consecutive years. Significant differences were found among these cultivars. In different growing seasons there were also significant effects on these characteristics in the same cultivar.     

Total phenol,flavonoid, proanthocyanidin and vitamin C levels and antioxidant activities of Mauritian vegetables

Ten Mauritian vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, white cabbage, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, mugwort, carrot, onion, tomato and chilli pepper, were analysed for their total phenol, flavonoid, proanthocyanidin and vitamin C contents and antioxidant capacity. Antioxidant activities of the vegetables ranged from 0.43 to 3.68 µmol g^?1 fresh weight Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and from 0.60 to 8.47 µmol g^?1 fresh weight ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Levels of total phenols in the vegetables varied between 132 and 1189 µg g^?1 fresh weight and those of total flavonoids between 45 and 944 µg g^?1 fresh weight, while proanthocyanidins were detected at very low levels in only a few vegetables. Vitamin C contents varied between 25 and 748 µg g^?1 fresh weight. Quercetin was the dominant flavonoid aglycone in the hydrolysed vegetable extracts, with values in the range of 15–390 µg g^?1 fresh weight. There were strong correlations between antioxidant capacity and total phenols (TEAC, r = 0.91; FRAP, r = 0.83) and total flavonoids (TEAC, r = 0.89; FRAP, r = 0.82). Vitamin C contents showed poor correlation with TEAC values (r = 0.33), while no correlation was observed with FRAP values. Highest antioxidant capacities were observed in Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis L), onion (Allium cepa L), mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris Cantley) and broccoli (Brassica oleracea L var botrytis L subvar cymosa). Mauritian vegetables therefore represent a significant source of phenolic antioxidants, with quercetin derivatives being most abundant, and this may contribute to their potential health benefits. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Fatty acid composition in some selected marine fish species living in Turkish waters

The muscle fatty acid (FA) composition of 12 selected marine fish species living in Turkish waters was determined. FA profiles of muscle were compared in terms of total and individual saturated (SFAs) and unsaturated fatty acids. Total SFA, monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n‐3 PUFA) and n‐6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n‐6 PUFA) contents as well as n‐3/n‐6 FA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ratios differed (P < 0.01) in all fish species. Palmitic acid (16:0) among total SFAs, oleic acid (18:1n‐9) among MUFAs, DHA (22:6n‐3) among n‐3 PUFAs and 18:2n‐6 and 20:4n‐6 among n‐6 PUFAs were the most abundant FAs. The ratio of n‐3/n‐6 PUFA contents, indicating the availability of n‐3 PUFAs that are beneficial for human health, ranged from 2.67 to 12.61. The EPA/DHA ratio was between 0.17 and 0.83 in the marine fish species studied. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry