The antioxidative activity of a total of 92 phenolic extracts from edible and nonedible plant materials (berries, fruits, vegetables, herbs, cereals, tree materials, plant sprouts, and seeds) was examined by autoxidation of methyl linoleate. The content of total phenolics in the extracts was determined spectrometrically according to the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure and calculated as gallic acid equivalents (GAE). Among edible plant materials, remarkable high antioxidant activity and high total phenolic content (GAE > 20 mg/g) were found in berries, especially aronia and crowberry. Apple extracts (two varieties) showed also strong antioxidant activity even though the total phenolic contents were low (GAE < 12.1 mg/g). Among nonedible plant materials, high activities were found in tree materials, especially in willow bark, spruce needles, pine bark and cork, and birch phloem, and in some medicinal plants including heather, bog-rosemary, willow herb, and meadowsweet. In addition, potato peel and beetroot peel extracts showed strong antioxidant effects. To utilize these significant sources of natural antioxidants, further characterization of the phenolic composition is needed.

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Aims: To investigate the antimicrobial properties of phenolic compounds present in Finnish berries against probiotic bacteria and other intestinal bacteria, including pathogenic species. Methods and Results: Antimicrobial activity of pure phenolic compounds representing flavonoids and phenolic acids, and eight extracts from common Finnish berries, was measured against selected Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacterial species, including probiotic bacteria and the intestinal pathogen Salmonella. Antimicrobial activity was screened by an agar diffusion method and bacterial growth was measured in liquid culture as a more accurate assay. Myricetin inhibited the growth of all lactic acid bacteria derived from the human gastrointestinal tract flora but it did not affect the Salmonella strain. In general, berry extracts inhibited the growth of Gram‐negative but not Gram‐positive bacteria. These variations may reflect differences in cell surface structures between Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria. Cloudberry, raspberry and strawberry extracts were strong inhibitors of Salmonella. Sea buckthorn berry and blackcurrant showed the least activity against Gram‐negative bacteria. Conclusions: Different bacterial species exhibit different sensitivities towards phenolics. Significance and Impact of the Study: These properties can be utilized in functional food development and in food preservative purposes.

Phenolic profiles of a total of 26 berry samples, together with 2 apple samples, were analyzed without hydrolysis of glycosides with HPLC. The phenolic contents among different berry genera varied considerably. Anthocyanins were the main phenolic constituents in bilberry, bog-whortleberry, and cranberry, but in cowberries, belonging also to the family Ericaceae genus Vaccinium, flavanols and procyanidins predominated. In the family Rosaceae genus Rubus (cloudberry and red raspberry), the main phenolics found were ellagitannins, and in genus Fragaria (strawberry), ellagitannins were the second largest group after anthocyanins. However, phenolic acids were dominant in rowanberries (genus Sorbus) and anthocyanins in chokeberry (genus Aronia). In the family Grossulariaceae genus Ribes (currants and gooseberry), anthocyanins predominated, as well as in crowberries (family Empetraceae genus Empetrum). In apples, hydroxycinnamic acids were the main phenolic subgroup. Extraction methods for berries and apples were studied to produce phenolic extracts with high antioxidant activity. Evaluation of antioxidant activity was performed by autoxidazing methyl linoleate (40 degrees C, in the dark). The extraction method affected remarkably both the phenolic composition and the antioxidant activity, but with statistical analysis the observed activity could not be well explained with the contents of individual phenolic subgroups.

The antioxidant activity of the six common anthocyanidins, pelargonidin, cyanidin, delphinidin, peonidin, petunidin, and malvidin, and their glycosidic forms was evaluated in three lipid-containing models [human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and bulk and emulsified methyl linoleate]. In addition, the radical scavenging activity of the compounds against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical was studied. Most anthocyanins and their aglycons acted as strong antioxidants in emulsion and LDL. Many compounds showed an activity comparable to the well-known antioxidants alpha-tocopherol, Trolox, catechin, and quercetin. In bulk methyl linoleate, anthocyanins and anthocyanidins possessed only a weak antioxidant activity or even oxidation-promoting activity. Depending on the anthocyanidin, different glycosylation patterns either enhanced or diminished the antioxidant power. For the most part, the activities of the glycosides and the aglycons did not differ remarkably in emulsion. In LDL the aglycons showed in general higher activities than the glycosides. In bulk oil, to the contrary, the glycosides were more effective than the aglycons.