The extract of fennel fruit as a potential natural additive in food industry

Abstract

In this study, the polyphenol profile and antioxidant activity of the hydro-ethanolic extract of the fennel fruit were examined in order to investigate the possibility of its application as a potential functional food additive. Total phenols were analyzed by the method of Folin-Ciocalteu, while total flavonoids were determined by the aluminum chloride colorimetric method. The separation and quantification of phenolic compounds were performed by LC-MS/MS analysis, using a multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The antioxidant capacity was determined by FRAP and DPPH assays. The high values of total phenolics and flavonoids were found, as well as high antioxidant activity which amounted to 9023.33 ± 38.19 µmol Fe(II)/l and 3.73 ± 0.04 mmol TE/l, tested by FRAP and DPPH assays, respectively. Among the identified phenolic compounds, p-hydroxybenzoic and chlorogenic acids were detected as predominant. The obtained results indicated that the hydro-ethanolic extract of the fennel fruit can be used in food industry as a potential natural antioxidant.

U ovom radu određivan je sadržaj polifenola i antioksidativna aktivnost vodeno-etanolnog ekstrakta morača, sa ciljem ispitivanja mogućnosti njegove primene kao potencijalnog funkcionalnog aditiva. Ukupni fenoli su analizirani metodom po Folin-Ciocalteu, dok je ukupan sadržaj flavonoida određen kolorimetrijskom metodom primenom aluminijum hlorida. Razdvajanje i kvantifikacija fenolnih jedinjenja postignuti su upotrebom LC-MS/MS metode u režimu koji omogućava istovremeno praćenje više jonskih prelaza. Antioksidativni kapacitet je određivan primenom testova FRAP i DPPH. U testiranom ekstraktu dobijene su visoke vrednosti za ukupne fenole i flavonoide, a dobijena je i visoka vrednost antioksidativne aktivnosti, koja je iznosila 9023.33 ± 38,19 mmol Fe(II)/l i 3,73 ± 0,04 mmol TE/l, računato primenom testa FRAP odnosno testa DPPH. Među fenolnim jedinjenjima, phidroksibenzoeva i hlorogena kiselina su pronađene kao dominantne. Dobijeni rezultati ukazuju na to da se ekstrakt morača može primenjivati u prehrambenoj industriji kao potencijalni prirodni antioksidans.