title: Red chicories as potent scavengers of highly reactive radicals: a study on their phenolic composition and peroxyl radical trapping capacity and efficiency.
abstract: Eight varieties of Cichorium genus vegetables (five heavily red colored, one red spotted, and two fully green) were investigated for their phenolic content (by HPLC and UV-vis spectrophotometry) and for their antioxidant activity. In particular, the capacity (that is, the amount of trapped peroxyl radicals) and the efficiency (that is, the amount of antioxidant necessary to halve the steady-state concentration of peroxyl radicals) were measured. All of the studied chicories are characterized by the presence of a large amount of hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids, whereas the red color is due to cyanidin glycosides. The presence of these phenolics in red chicories confers to them an exceptionally high peroxyl radical scavenging activity in terms of both capacity and efficiency, particularly in their early stage of growth, and makes this popular and low-cost foods comparable or superior to many foods having well-known antioxidant properties such as red wine, blueberry, and tomato.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica Biologica, Università di Padova, via G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossetto
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lante
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vanzani
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spettoli
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scarpa
authors.forename: Adelio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rigo
mesh_terms: D018651:Cichorium intybus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003373:Coumaric Acids / Q000032:analysis; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D062385:Hydroxybenzoates / Q000032:analysis; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D010545:Peroxides / Q000737:chemistry*; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D003373:Coumaric Acids; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D062385:Hydroxybenzoates; D010545:Peroxides; D010636:Phenols; C049375:perhydroxyl radical