Antioxidant activity and phenolic profiling of the Argentinian Patagonia currant Ribes magellanicum Poir.

JIMÉNEZ-ASPEE, FELIPE; LADIO, A. H.; VALDÉS, S.T.; THEODULOZ, CRISTINA; SCHMEDA-HIRSCHMANN, GUILLERMO

Puerto Varas

Congreso; 14 th International Congress of Ethnopharmacology; 2014

International Society for Ethnpharmacology

The fruits of the native currant Ribes spp. (Grossulariaceae) were very appreciated by the Amerindian hunther-gatherers for their sweet and pleasant taste. Ribes magellanicum is distributed in the South American Patagonia, including Chile and Argentina. At present, in the Provincia de Río Negro, Argentina, the fruits are eaten fresh or used to prepare preserves, sweets and jams. The aim of our study was to assess the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of R. magellanicum fruits. Representative samples were collected at Rio Casa de Piedra and Villa La Angostura, Argentina. In vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated in methanolic extracts of the fruits by their ability to scavenge free radicals (DPPH and ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Total phenolic (TP), flavonoid (TF) and anthocyanin (TA) content were determined. The TP content ranged from 5.1-5.7 g gallic acid equivalents/100 g MeOH extract, TF from 0.4-0.9 g quercetin equivalents/100 g MeOH extract and TA from 0.03-204.95 mg cyanidin equivalents/100 g MeOH extract. The fruits presented high antioxidant activity, namely: DPPH SC50 18.3-66.2 µg/ml, FRAP 342.0-846.1 µmol trolox equivalents/g MeOH extract and TEAC 339.6-1173.6 µM trolox equivalents/g MeOH extract. Phenolic content was assessed by HPLC-DAD-MS/MSn. Main flavonol glycosides, including quercetin and kaempferol derivatives, as well as caffeoylquinic acid and anthocyanidins were tentatively identified from the MeOH fruit extracts. Further studies are underway to get a better picture of the chemical composition of South American currants and to disclose its potential as nutraceuticals.