Pouzolzia zeylanica was extracted with different solvents (acetone, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether), using different protocols (cold-extraction and Soxhlet extraction). To evaluate the antiradical and antioxidant abilities of the extracts, four in vitro test systems were employed, i.e., DPPH, ABTS and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays and a reducing power assay. All extracts exhibited outstanding antioxidant activities that were superior to that of butylated hydroxytoluene. The ethyl acetate extracts exhibited the most significant antioxidant activities, and cold-extraction under stirring seemed to be the more efficacious method for acquiring the predominant antioxidants. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities and total phenolic (TP) content of different extracts followed the same order, i.e., there is a good correlation between antioxidant activities and TP content. The results showed that these extracts, especially the ethyl acetate extracts, could be considered as natural antioxidants and may be useful for curing diseases arising from oxidative deterioration.

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Various solvent extracts of Phymatopteris hastata, a traditional Chinese medicinal material, were screened for their antioxidant activities. Four systems of in vitro testing were employed to investigate the antiradical and antioxidant effect, i.e., the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) systems, the hydroxyl radical scavenging assay and the reducing power. In addition, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a widely used synthetic antioxidant, was also studied for comparison. The results revealed that the ethyl acetate extract exhibited outstanding antioxidant activities, which was close or even superior to BHT. Furthermore, the total phenolic (TP) and total flavonoid (TF) contents of different extracts were measured, expressed as gallic acid and rutin equivalent, respectively. The antioxidant activities and the TP/TF content of different extracts followed the same order: ethyl acetate extract > butyl alcohol extract > petroleum ether extract, showing a good correlation between the antioxidant activities and the TP/TF content. The results showed that these extracts, especially the ethyl acetate extract, were rich in phenolics and flavonoids and could be considered as natural antioxidants

Beekeepers who manage migratory beekeeping in China preferred to produce non-ripe honey rather than natural ripe honey in short flowering seasons, to obtain higher honey yield and profits. To explore an alternative method for production of ripe honey, we fed Apis cerana cerana colonies with non-ripe honey produced from Apis mellifera ligustica colonies to produce re-ripe honey. The production rate of re-ripe honey was 29.06%, which led to a high market profit considering price factors. The contents of glucose and fructose in re-ripe honey didn't change significantly, and small amounts of sucrose and maltose were detected. The amylase activity (39.06 mL/(g*h) in re-ripe honey significantly increased, compared with that (34.86 mL/(g*h)) in non-ripe honey. The types and relative content of volatile organic components, namely, alcohols and esters, in re-ripe honey were lower than those in non-ripe honey, indicating the milder and non-irritating aroma of the former. Dverall, the method raised by us is a practical approach to produce honey with high quality and economic values and could be easily accepted by the market.