Bong Han Lee

Estimation of Daily Per Capita Intake of Total Phenolics, Total Flavonoids, and Antioxidant Capacities from Fruit and Vegetable Juices in the Korean Diet Based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008

From an analysis of the daily consumption per capita (g/capita/day) in the existing dataset of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008, the top seven fruit and vegetable juices (apple, grape, mandarin, orange, pineapple, pomegranate and tomato) commercially available on the Korean market were selected and analyzed. These juices showed a wide range of levels of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant capacities. The daily per capita intake of total phenolics from juice consumption was 11.70 mg gallic acid equivalents and that of total flavonoids was 1.65 mg catechin equivalents. The daily per capita intakes antioxidant capacities were 10.42 mg vitamin C equivalents (DPPH assay) and 13.21 mg vitamin C equivalents (ABTS assay). Daily per capita intakes of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant capacities were influenced by the compositional content and the daily consumption of fruit and vegetable juices.

Comparison of Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Flavonoid-Rich Common and Tartary Buckwheat Sprout Extracts in Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated RAW 264.7 and Peritoneal Macrophages

Buckwheat sprouts have been widely consumed all around world due to their great abundance of bioactive compounds. In this study, the anti-inflammatory effects of flavonoid-rich common buckwheat sprout (CBS) and tartary buckwheat sprout (TBS) extracts were evaluated in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages and primary peritoneal macrophages from male BALB/c mice. Based on the reversed-phase HPLC analysis, the major flavonoids in CBS were determined to be C-glycosylflavones (orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, and isovitexin), quercetin-3-O-robinobioside, and rutin, whereas TBS contained only high amounts of rutin. The TBS extract exhibited higher inhibitory activity as assessed by the production of proinflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide and cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin- (IL-) 6, and IL-12 in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages than CBS extract. In addition, TBS extract suppressed nuclear factor-kappa B activation by preventing inhibitor kappa B-alpha degradation and mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Moreover, the TBS extract markedly reduced LPS-induced cytokine production in peritoneal macrophages. Taken together, these findings suggest that TBS extract can be a potential source of anti-inflammatory agents that may influence macrophage-mediated inflammatory disorders.

Antioxidative and Neuroprotective Effects of Volatile Components in Essential Oils from Chrysanthemum indicum Linné Flowers

Chrysanthemum indicum Linné, belonging to the family Compositae, is a perennial herb that is widespread in Korea. C. indicum Linné flowers have been traditionally used as an oriental medicine for treatment of infectious diseases. The chemical compositions, antioxidant capacity, and neuroprotective effects of volatile components in essential oils from C. indicum Linné flowers were investigated. GC-MS analysis of essential oils revealed the 15 major components of 1,8-cineole, o-cymene, camphor, pinocarvone, chrysanthenyl acetate, bornyl acetate, trans-caryophyllene, terpinen-4-ol, umbellulone, trans-pinocarveol, cis-verbenol, borneol, α-terpineol, caryophyllene oxide, and thymol. Thymol had the highest antioxidant capacity. Essential oils and thymol dose-dependently decreased intracellular oxidative stress, exhibited anticholinesterase activities, and increased the cell viability of neuronal PC-12 cells. Essential oils and thymol from C. indicum Linné flowers can be sources of natural antioxidants and functional foods.

Activated carbon treatment of water extracts of Artemisia princeps pampanini to retain bioactive phenolic compounds and remove volatiles

Artemisia princeps Pampanini used as a medicinal herb in Asian countries has undesirable flavors. Water extracts from A. princeps Pampanini were used to quantitatively evaluate off-flavor volatiles and bioactive phenolic compounds through activated carbon (AC) processing using GC/MS and reversed-phase HPLC analyses, respectively. As the amount of AC increased, the content of individual volatiles and phenolic compounds gradually decreased. AC treatment significantly (p<0.05) decreased amounts of six off-flavor volatiles, compared to controls without AC treatment. With AC treatment, quantities of the C10 volatiles 1,8-cineol, γ-terpinene, and α-terpineol decreased by over 55%, whereas quantities of the C15 volatiles trans-caryophyllene and trans-β-farnesene decreased by less than 40%. Water extracts treated with 1% (w/v) AC exhibited a non-significant (p>0.05) loss of major phenolic compounds, compared to controls. Treatment with 1% (w/v) AC effectively removes off-flavor compounds and achieves minimal loss of phenolic compounds.

Estimation of Daily per Capita Intake of Total Phenolics, Total Flavonoids, and Antioxidant Capacities from Commercial Products of Japanese Apricot (Prunus mume) in the Korean Diet, Based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2010

The total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant capacities of ten commercial products of Japanese apricot (maesil) were evaluated, including four kinds of alcoholic drinks, two kinds of soft drinks, and four kinds of concentrate found in the Korean market. The daily per capita consumption (g/capita/day) of each product was calculated from in the existing dataset of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2010. Using the combined datasets indicated above, the daily per capita intake of total phenolics from maesil product consumption was found to be 1.05 mg gallic acid equivalents. The daily per capita intake of total flavonoids was determined to be 0.13 mg catechin equivalents, and the daily per capita intake of antioxidant capacities were measured at 0.70 mg vitamin C equivalents (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay), and at 1.04 mg vitamin C equivalents (2,2`-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assay). The daily per capita intakes of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant capacities were influenced by the daily quantity of consumption of maesil products, as well as their compositional contents.

Protective effects of bioactive phenolics from jujube (Ziziphus jujuba) seeds against H2O2–induced oxidative stress in neuronal PC-12 cells

Ziziphus jujuba (jujube) seeds were extracted with 60% (v/v) aqueous ethanol assisted by homogenization and sonication followed by fractionation into n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water. The ethyl acetate fraction exhibited the highest levels of total phenolics (102.05 mg gallic acid equivalents/g fraction), total flavonoids (35.43 mg catechin equivalents/g fraction), and antioxidant capacity (271.67 and 66.02 mg vitamin C equivalents/g fraction in respective ABTS and DPPH assays) among the fractions tested. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction revealed 12 phenolic compounds: 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, methyldopa, p-coumaric acid, dihydro-p-coumaric acid, rutin, isoquercetin, kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside, 3-O-cis-p-coumaroylalphitolic acid, 2-O-cis-p-coumaroylalphitolic acid, 3-O-trans-p-coumaroylalphitolic acid, 3-O-cis-p-coumaroylmaslinic acid, and 3-O-trans-p-coumaroylmaslinic acid. Phenolic compounds generally increased viability, reduced lactate dehydrogenase release, and attenuated intracellular oxidative stress in PC-12 cells. The results of this study suggest that Z. jujuba seeds may serve as an effective source of antioxidative agents to reduce oxidative stress and enhance neuronal cell viability.

Comparative evaluation of triacylglycerols, fatty acids, and volatile organic compounds as markers for authenticating sesame oil

ABSTRACT Sesame oil is a high-value edible vegetable oil, and concern about its authenticity has gained much attention for commercial and consumer health reasons. The present study compares the application of triacylglycerols (TAGs), fatty acids, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as markers for discriminating pure sesame oils from those adulterated with corn or soybean oils. The profiles of TAGs, fatty acids, and VOCs in oil samples were established by high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detector, gas chromatography (GC)-flame ionization detector, and GC-time-of-flight mass spectrometer, respectively. Data from six TAGs, seven fatty acids, and six VOCs were employed separately to classify oil samples via principal component analysis (PCA). The PCA results indicate that VOCs show much greater promise than TAGs and fatty acids for detecting corn or soybean oil adulteration (approximately 5% w/w content) of sesame oils.