- 1a Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry , Forest Research Institute , Sękocin Stary , Poland.
- 2b Department of Chemistry , University of Warsaw , Warsaw , Poland.
Abstract
Over
the last decade, there has been an increasing interest to study the
antioxidants from natural sources which can be applied to replace the
synthetic compounds commonly used in food or as cosmetic ingredients.
Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull (heather), a plant grown in most parts of
Europe and Northern America, has been used in ethnopharmacology.
The content of selected biophenols and the antioxidant capacity of the
extracts of wild heather collected from natural environmental localities
of central Poland were assessed in this study and compared with
cultivated plant. Chlorogenic acid was the major biophenolic compound
present in the extracts, followed by a high amount of catechins. The
reducing power of the extracts evaluated by Folin-Ciocalteau assay was
in the range of 75.7-89.1 mg GA/g dry flowers. The cultivated plant
extract showed the largest radical scavenging on
1,1-diphenyl-2-pirylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals.
KEYWORDS:
Calluna vulgaris; antioxidant properties; biophenols
