Ruifen Zhang

Phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity of litchi pulp of different cultivars cultivated in Southern China.

The phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity of litchi pulp of 13 varieties were investigated. The free, bound and total phenolic contents were 66.17-226.03, 11.18-40.54, and 101.51-259.18 mg of gallic acid equivalents/100 g, respectively. The free, bound and total flavonoid contents were 16.68-110.33, 10.48-22.75, and 39.43-129.86 mg of catechin equivalents/100 g, respectively. Free phenolics and flavonoids contributed averagely 80.1% and 75% to their total contents, respectively. Six individual phenolics (gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, (+)-catechin, caffeic acid, (-)-epicatechin, and rutin) were detected in litchi pulp by HPLC. The contents of each compound in free and bound fractions were determined. Significant varietal discrepancy in antioxidant activity was also found by FRAP and DPPH scavenging capacity methods. Antioxidant activity was significantly correlated with phenolic and flavonoid contents. Thus, phenolics and flavonoids exist mainly in the free form in litchi pulp. There were significant varietal differences in phytochemical contents and antioxidant activity of litchi pulp.

Separation, Purification and Identification of Antioxidant Compositions in Black Rice

Abstract To separate, purify and identify the antioxidative compositions of black rice, using total antioxidation capacity (TAC) as an activity-monitoring parameter, different fractions of black rice antioxidative extracts were obtained using solvents of different polarities such as petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and normal butyl alcohol. The main antioxidative components were separated from the strongest antioxidative fractions by using Sephadex LH-20 resin and the structures were analyzed by ultraviolet-vis, infra-red, ESI-MS, 1 H-NMR and 13 C-NMR spectrums. Results showed that the water fraction and normal butyl alcohol antioxidative extract fraction of black rice had the strongest antioxidation capacities and their TACs reached 383 and 392 ku g −1 , respectively. Four main antioxidative components were separated from the water fraction and their TACs reached 976, 878, 1134 and 1 087 ku g −1 , respectively. The spectroscopy analysis indicated that the four active components of the antioxidative extract of black rice were four anthocyanin compounds of malvidin, pelargonidin-3, 5-diglucoside, cyaniding-3-glucoside and cyaniding-3, 5-diglucoside. It is concluded that the anthocyanin compounds are the most important substantial foundations for antioxidation.

Free and bound phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity of milled fractions of different indica rice varieties cultivated in southern China.

This study quantified free and bound phytochemicals and their antioxidant activity in the endosperm and bran/embryo of different indica rice varieties. Phytochemicals mainly existed as free form in the bran/embryo and as both free and bound forms in the endosperm. The average values of total phenolic content, flavonoid content, FRAP, ABTS and ORAC values in the bran/embryo were 3.1, 10.4, 8.2, 11.2 and 11.4 times higher than those in the endosperm, respectively. In whole brown rice, the bran contributed 59.2%, 53.7%, 47.7%, 55.5% and 56.9% of total phenolics, flavonoids, FRAP, ABTS and ORAC values, respectively. Seven individual phenolics (gallic, protocatechuic, chlorogenic, caffeic, syringic, coumaric and ferulic acids) were detected with most coumaric and ferulic acids in the bran. All measurements exhibited varietal differences. These findings provide important information for improving human health by encouraging the consumption of whole brown rice and its use in food product development.

Dynamic changes in the free and bound phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of brown rice at different germination stages

Germinated brown rice is a good source of the phenolics associated with antioxidant effects. Germination significantly increased by 63.2% and 23.6% the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, respectively. The percentage contribution of bound phenolics to total was 42.3% before and decreased slightly to 37.6% after germination. The percentage contribution of bound flavonoids to total, 51.1%, was the same before and after germination. The change in the amounts of free and bound forms indicated that transformations could occur during the germination process. Six individual phenolics were detected by HPLC. The levels of ferulic, coumaric, syringic, and caffeic acid significantly increased. The ratio of bound ferric reducing antioxidant power to total was basically constant, while germination increased the ratio of bound oxygen radical absorbance capacity to total. This indicated that the increase of bound phenolics exerts beneficial health effects throughout the digestive tract after absorption and may reduce mutations.

Comparison of the free and bound phenolic profiles and cellular antioxidant activities of litchi pulp extracts from different solvents.

BackgroundThe phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of fruits could be underestimated if the bound phenolic compounds are not considered. In the present study, the extraction efficiencies of various solvents were investigated in terms of the total content of the free and bound phenolic compounds, as well as the phenolic profiles and antioxidant activities of the extracts.MethodsFive different solvent mixtures were used to extract the free phenolic compounds from litchi pulp. Alkaline and acidic hydrolysis methods were compared for the hydrolysis of bound phenolic compounds from litchi pulp residue. The phenolic compositions of the free and bound fractions from the litchi pulp were identified using HPLC-DAD. The antioxidant activities of the litchi pulp extracts were determined by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assays.ResultsOf the solvents tested, aqueous acetone extracted the largest amount of total free phenolic compounds (210.7 mg GAE/100 g FW) from litchi pulp, followed sequentially by aqueous mixtures of methanol, ethanol and ethyl acetate, and water itself. The acid hydrolysis method released twice as many bound phenolic compounds as the alkaline hydrolysis method. Nine phenolic compounds were detected in the aqueous acetone extract. In contrast, not all of these compounds were found in the other four extracts. The classification and content of the bound phenolic compounds released by the acid hydrolysis method were higher than those achieved by the alkaline hydrolysis. The aqueous acetone extract showing the highest ORAC value (3406.9 μmol TE/100 g FW) for the free phenolic extracts. For the CAA method, however, the aqueous acetone and methanol extracts (56.7 and 55.1 μmol QE/100 g FW) showed the highest levels of activity of the five extracts tested. The ORAC and CAA values of the bound phenolic compounds obtained by acid hydrolysis were 2.6- and 1.9-fold higher than those obtained using the alkaline hydrolysis method.ConclusionsThe free and bound phenolic contents and profiles and antioxidant activities of the extracts were found to be dependent on the extraction solvent used. Litchi exhibited good cellular antioxidant activity and could be a potentially useful natural source of antioxidants.

Effect of degree of milling on phenolic profiles and cellular antioxidant activity of whole brown rice.

The impact of increasing degree of milling (DOM) on free and bound phenolics and flavonoids and on cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) of japonica and indica brown rice was investigated. As the average DOM increased from 0 to 2.67, 7.25 and 9.60%, the average total phenolic content decreased by 21.1, 42.6 and 55.6%, and the average total CAA value decreased by 37.4, 84.0 and 92.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the percentage contributions of bound forms to total phenolics and flavonoids decreased with increasing DOM. The contents of nine phenolic compounds significantly decreased with increasing DOM, including quercetin, ferulic and coumaric acids. Interestingly, as the DOM increased to 9.6%, free ferulic and coumaric acids were undetectable in japonica rice, while neither free nor bound caffeic acid was detectable in indica rice. These findings indicate that DOM should be carefully controlled for acceptable sensory quality and retention of phytochemicals during brown rice milling.

Structural elucidation and cellular antioxidant activity evaluation of major antioxidant phenolics in lychee pulp.

Lychee pulp contains phenolic compounds that are strong antioxidants, but the identities of the major antioxidants present are unknown. In the present study, the major contributors to the antioxidant activity of fresh lychee pulp were identified and their cellular antioxidant activities were investigated. Aqueous acetone extracts of lychee pulp were fractionated on polyamide resin, and those fractions with the largest antioxidant and radical scavenging activities were selected using cellular antioxidant activity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity assays. Three compounds that were major contributors to the antioxidant activity in these fractions were obtained by reverse-phase preparative HPLC and identified as quercetin 3-O-rutinoside-7-O-α-L-rhamnosidase (quercetin 3-rut-7-rha), quercetin 3-O-rutinoside (rutin) and (-)-epicatechin using NMR spectroscopy, HMBC, and ESI-MS spectrometry. The concentration of quercetin 3-rut-7-rha was 17.25mg per 100g of lychee pulp fresh weight. This is the first report of the identification and cellular antioxidant activity of quercetin 3-rut-7-rha from lychee pulp.

Phenolic Profiles and Antioxidant Activity of Litchi (Litchi Chinensis Sonn.) Fruit Pericarp from Different Commercially Available Cultivars

Litchi fruit pericarp (LFP) contains significant amounts of phenolics which have been found to exhibit diverse biological activities. The purpose of this work was to determine the varietal differences in phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity of LFP from nine commercially available cultivars. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents ranged from 9.39 to 30.16 mg gallic acid equivalents/g fresh weight (FW) and from 7.12 to 23.46 mg catechin equivalents/g FW, respectively. The total anthocyanin contents ranged from 1.77 to 20.94 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents/100 g FW. Three anthocyanins, including cyanidin-3-rutinoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, malvidin-3-glucoside, were detected, and cyanidin-3-rutinoside was the predominant constituent which contributes from 68.8% to 100% to total anthocyanins, The total procyanidin contents ranged from 4.35 to 11.82 mg epicatechin equivalents/g FW. Procyanidin B2, epicatechin, A-type procyanidin trimer, and procyanidin A2 were detected in all nine litchi varieties. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity activities and DPPH radical-scavenging activities ranged from 430.49 to 1752.30 μmol TE/100 g FW and from 4.70 to 11.82 mg/g (IC50), respectively. These results indicate that there are significant differences in phytochemical profiles and antioxidant activity among the tested varieties. Knowing the phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity of LFP of different varieties gives the insights into its potential application to promote health.

Comparison of Physicochemical Properties and Immunomodulatory Activity of Polysaccharides from Fresh and Dried Litchi Pulp

Drying is commonly used for preservation and processing of litchi. However, its polysaccharide structure may be altered by the drying process, resulting in biological activity changes. Polysaccharides from fresh and dried litchi pulp (denoted as LPF and LPD, respectively) were isolated, investigated by GC-MS, GPC and UV/IR spectrum analysis and their antitumor and immunomodulatory activities were evaluated in vitro. LPD, the molecular weight of which was lower than that of LPF, contained more protein, uronic acid, arabinose, galactose and xylose. Compared with LPF, LPD exhibited a higher inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HepG2, Hela and A549 cells from 50–750 μg/mL. LPD was also a better stimulator of spleen lymphocyte proliferation, NK cells cytotoxicity and macrophage phagocytosis from 50–400 μg/mL. In summary, drying could change the physicochemical properties and enhance the bioactivity of polysaccharides from litchi pulp. This finding is supported by the fact that dried litchi pulps are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Effect of extrusion on phytochemical profiles in milled fractions of black rice

The phytochemical profile and antioxidant activities of unprocessed and extruded milled fractions of black rice were investigated. Extrusion increased the free phenolics, anthocyanins and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and decreased the bound forms. The total phenolics, anthocyanins and ORAC increased by 12.6%, 5.4% and 19.7%, respectively, in bran. Extrusion decreased both free and bound phenolics and anthocyanins while ORAC values decreased by 46.5%, 88.4% and 33.1%, respectively, in polished rice and by 71.2%, 87.9% and 14.7%, respectively, in brown rice. A total of seven phenolics, gallic, chlorogenic, vanillic, caffeic, syringic, p-coumaric and ferulic acids, were detected in both forms. Cyanidin 3-glucoside (Cy-3-G), cyanidin 3-rutinoside and peonidin 3-glucoside were also detected with Cy-3-G found in the highest amounts in unprocessed and extruded rice bran. These results provide the basis for the development of different milled fractions of extruded black rice with balanced nutritional characteristics for todays functional food markets.