title: Assessment of antioxidant activity of cane brown sugars by ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging assays: determination of their polyphenolic and volatile constituents.
abstract: Seven cane brown sugars (four from La Réunion, two from Mauritius, and one from France) were investigated for their polyphenol content and volatile composition in relation to their free radical scavenging capacity determined by ABTS and DPPH assays. The thin layer coated on the sugar crystal was extracted by Soxhlet extractor with dichloromethane. The volatile compounds of brown sugars were studied by GC-MS, and 43 compounds were identified. The total phenolic content of brown sugars was determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Phenolic compounds were quantified in the brown sugar extracts by LC-UV-ESI-MS. Brown sugar aqueous solutions exhibited weak free radical scavenging activity in the DPPH assay and higher antioxidant activity in the ABTS assay at relatively high concentration. The brown sugar extracts showed interesting free radical scavenging properties despite the low concentration of phenolic and volatile compounds. Sugar is a common foodstuff traditionally used for its sweetening properties, which might be accompanied by antioxidant properties arising from molecules (polyphenols, Maillard products) other than sucrose of the cane brown sugars.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie des Substances Naturelles et des Sciences des Aliments, Faculté des Sciences et Technologies, Université de la Réunion, 15 avenue René Cassin, B.P. 7151, 97715 Saint Denis Messag. Cedex 9, La Réunion, France.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Payet
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shum Cheong Sing
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smadja
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry*; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000737:chemistry*; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry*; D010851:Picrates / Q000737:chemistry*; D059808:Polyphenols; D013451:Sulfonic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D052160:Benzothiazoles; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D002241:Carbohydrates; D005419:Flavonoids; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D010636:Phenols; D010851:Picrates; D059808:Polyphenols; D013451:Sulfonic Acids; C002502:2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid; C004931:1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl