Journal of Functional Foods | 2021
Investigation of the antioxidant capacity of caramels: Combination of laboratory assays and C. elegans model
Abstract
Abstract Caramel is one of the most current additive/ingredient obtained by controlled heat treatment of carbohydrates. A combination of in vitro and in vivo methods showed that aromatic caramels and caramel colours are antioxidant. The highest value is obtained for Class III caramel colours for in vitro TEAC and KRL tests (401\u202fµmol Trolox equivalent/g and 5\xa0366\u202fmg gallic acid equivalent/100\u202fg, respectively). In in vivo test, caramels also increase the resistance of C. elegans to oxidant attack, with until 40% live worms after 18\u202fh of treatment in the presence of caramels against no live worms after 12\u202fh of treatment without. In conclusion, this study explore benefit effect of caramels and showed an antioxidant activity linked to their color intensity. The molecules involved remain to be explored.