Evaluation of the Antioxidant Contents of Korean Wild Leaf Vegetables

  • Ahn, Hee-Jung (Department of Food & Nutrition, Duksung Womens University) ;
  • Cho, Mun-Jung (Department of Food & Nutrition, Duksung Womens University) ;
  • Cho, Youn-Ok (Department of Food & Nutrition, Duksung Womens University)
  • Published : 2000.11.01

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidative potential of Korean wild leaf vegetables. Antixoidative activity of chamchwi (Aster scaber), nurucchwi (Pleurospermum kamtschaticum) sumssukbujengee (Aster glheni), moshidae (Adenophora remotiflora), spinach (Spinacia oleracea)k was evaluated as a reference for commonly used synthetic antioxidant, BHA. We compared the content of $\beta$-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E as antioxidant vitamins, and total phenolic compound including flavonoid as non-vitamin compounds in Korean wild leaf vegetables and spinach. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value of Pleurospermum kamtschaticum, Aster scaber and Adenophora remotiflor was only 18-20% of control. TBA value of Aster glheni was 40% of control. On the basis of moles, the high level of vitamin C is the major contributor to the total antioxidant vitamin contents of Pleurospermum kamschaticum and Adenophora remotiflor. The amounts of flavonoid as well as total phenolic compound in Pleurospermum kamtschaticum and Adenophora remotiflor were also much higher than those of spinach. The amounts of flavonoid as well as total phenolic compound in Aster glheni were much higher than those of spinach while total amount of antioxidant vitamins was significantly lower than that of spinach. These results suggest that Pleurospermum kamtschaticum and Adenophora remotiflor could have antioxidative potency in food. Because of the higher content of antioxidant vitamins in Pleurospermum kamtschaticum and Adenophora remotiflor, these Korean wild leaf vegetables may have preventive effects on degenerative diseases, which have been associated with free radical mediated events.

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