Fast ORAC-SIA method for antioxidant capacity determination in food samples

A novel fluorescent ORAC-SIA method to determine antioxidant capacity in several food samples using fluorescein as the probe was developed. The optimization of the method was through a multivariable design, decreasing the analysis time to 5 min and the AAPH concentration to 67% compared with 90 min in the standard 96-well microplate method. The aspiration order was AAPH-sample/standard-fluorescein injected into a stream of a water-based carrier. The calculation of the antioxidant capacity was done from the fluoresceine peak heigh, so neither delay time nor area measurement was necessary. The proposed method showed excellent precision (RDS < 3%) with a LOD of 3.13 µmol L^-1 and recoveries from 90% to 107%. The results from the ORAC-SIA method did not show a significant difference from the microplate method.

Herbal distillates: A new era of grape marc distillates with enriched antioxidant profile

Grape marc distillates are traditional alcoholic beverages, produced mostly in the Mediterranean countries. The present study proposes the enrichment of a Greek traditional grape marc distillate (tsikoudia) with selected herbs to enhance its natural antioxidants and functional properties. Total phenolic content, the antiradical and antioxidant activities, as well as the phenolic and sugar profiles using NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy were evaluated. The enrichment of distillates with Syzygium aromaticum L., Jasminum officinale L. and Eucalyptus globulus Labill. exhibited the highest total phenolic content as well as the highest antioxidant and antiradical activities, whereas the lowest values were observed with Hippophae rhamnoides L. and Lycium Barbarum Mill. The implementation of NMR and FT-IR spectroscopies attested to the presence of phenolic compounds and of specific carbohydrates in herbal distillates, postulating their migration from selected herbal species to tsikoudia and probably contributing to their organoleptic characteristics. The target of this approach leads to new added-value distillates with enhanced characteristics.

Total polyphenols content in white wines on a microfluidic flow injection analyzer with embedded optical fibers

Absorbance detection in food microdevices has not been thoroughly used due to low levels of sensitivity in measurements. Thus, it is necessary to develop microfluidic methods for improving photometric detection. For this purpose, a simple coupled-optical-fiber-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microdevice was developed, to quantify polyphenols content in white wine employing the Folin-Ciocalteu reaction method. A 6V and 10W halogen lamp with an optical path length of 7mm between optical fibers, which were placed into the microchip, using guides at the outlet of the flow, increased the level of sensitivity during detection. The linear range was from 0.03mmol/L to 0.18mmol/L. Thus, the corresponding equation was: Abs=4.00(±0.16) [tannic acid]+0.17(±0.017). Intra-laboratory repeatability and reproducibility percentages were 2.95% and 6.84%, respectively. Such results were compared to those obtained from applying the conventional flow-injection analysis method, based on the same type of reaction. The relative error between methods was less than 13%.