Antioxidant activities of six natural phenolics against lipid oxidation induced by Fe 2+ or ultraviolet light

ISSN： 0003-021X

Source： Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society, Vol.75, Iss.12, 1998-12, pp. : 1717-1721

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Abstract

The mechanisms and antioxidant activities of six natural phenolics against lipid oxidation induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation or Fe²⁺ were studied. An oil emulsion was prepared with flax oil and the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) method was used to determine lipid oxidation. The antioxidant activities of the six phenolics against UV-induced lipid oxidation were as follows: quercetin > rutin = caffeic acid = ferulic acid = sesamol > catechin. The inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) showed that the effectiveness of these antioxidants against Fe²⁺-induced lipid oxidation was in the order quercetin (1.7 µM) > rutin (10.3 µM) > catechin (14.9 µM) > sesamol (18.5 µM) > caffeic acid (19 µM) > ferulic acid (>250 µM), and quercetin was more efficient than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (2.9 µM). Quercetin and rutin had absorption maxima at the UV-A (320–380 nm) region, while the other phenolics tested had absorption maxima near (catechin, 278 nm) or at the UV-B (280–320 nm) region. The stoichiometric ratios of quercetin, rutin, catechin, and caffeic acid to Fe²⁺ were 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, and 1:1, respectively. Although free-radical scavenging capability of antioxidants was the most critical, UV absorption and/or Fe²⁺-chelation properties of natural phenolics also contributed significantly to the control of lipid oxidation induced by UV or Fe²⁺ in oil systems.