Western Illinois University, Chemistry, Macomb, IL 61455
Polyphenols are secondary plant metabolites that exhibit protective effects against oxidation and degenerative diseases such as cancer and hypertension in humans. Polyphenols in plants, berries, and fruits are grouped into different classes, each contributing to the overall antioxidant activity. The objective of this study was to investigate the phenolic composition of four varieties of berries, and wines made of blackberry and blueberry and to assess the antioxidant activity using various in-vitro antioxidant assays including the free radical scavenging assay, the reducing power assay, hydroxyl radical scavenging assay and the total antioxidant capacity. Liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LCMS) was used to identify the phenolic compounds and relationships between class of polyphenols and antioxidant activity were examined. The results of this study will be useful for assessing the effects of fermentation in the phenolic profile of berries and on antioxidant activity.