Assay of Antioxidant Capacity and Phenolic Compounds in some Romanian and Cypriot Wine

Abstract

Free radicals have an important role in food and in chemical material degradation, contributing to the occurrence of many human health problems, but the antioxidants can considerably delay or prevent the oxidation of easily oxidable substrates. The present research aimed to assess the antioxidant activity, expressed by the presence of polyphenols, flavonols, flavones, anthocyanidins and flavanols, in several Romanian and Cypriot wines. The wine phenolics content was analysed by high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) Shimadzu equipped with two chromatographic columns. Higher concentrations were registered in all red wines. The antioxidant activity quantification was carried out by the DPPH method, a simple and cheap approach based on the absorbance decrease determination of the DPPH radical (2,2-diphenyl- 1- picrylhydrazyl) in the presence of antioxidants. The highest antioxidant activity for white wines was determined at ‘Spouriko’ for Cypriot wine from 2013 (EC 50 = 1/38) while for Romanian wines, the highest value was found in a ‘Tămâioasă românească’ (EC50 = 1/58) and for red wines at ‘Maratheftiko’ wine from 2012 (EC50 = 1/680) and in ‘Fetească Neagră’ wine from 2014 (EC50 =1/590). This study provides relevant information to consumers and industry alike regarding the beneficial role wine plays for human health. It also can act as a baseline for choosing a certain product, according to its sanogenic potential.