Screening of cereal varieties for antioxidant and radical scavenging properties applying various spectroscopic and thermoanalytical methods

Twenty varieties of four representative cereals, and sixteen varieties of six pseudocereals were investigated by different assays and analyses, covering the quantitative analysis of antioxidants, radical scavenging capacity (RSC) as well as total antioxidant capacity of cereals. The inter-variety variability in antioxidant capacity was determined by four independent methods for evaluation of antioxidant activity including 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline)-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrasyl (DPPH) tests, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)/spin-trapping assay and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The antioxidant capacity of studied samples determined in ABTS test ranged from 0.70 to 7.33 mg Trolox g⁻¹, in DPPH test from 1.31 to 54.79 mg Trolox g⁻¹and RSC values from EPR/spin-trapping assay varied from 0.27 to 13.52 mg Trolox g⁻¹ dry matter. The best antioxidant capacity was found for buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) and Japanese millet ( Echinochloa frumentacea L.), where also the highest contents of total phenolics and exceptional thermal stability were observed.