Antioxidant activity of Sechium edule (Jacq) Swartz.

ORDOÑEZ A.A., GOMEZ D., VATTUONE M.A., ISLA M.I.

FOOD CHEMISTRY

Elsevier

Lugar: ----; Año: 2006 vol. 97 p. 452 - 458

0308-8146

The antioxidant activity (AA) of Sechium edule extracts were tested employing three established in vitro methods such as reducing power, b-carotene linoleate model and 1,1-diphenyl-2 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging. Leaf ethanolic extracts and leaf and seed water extracts showed strong inhibitory activity of b-carotene bleaching (AA values of 90%). Furhermore, this extracts exerted hydrogen-donating ability in the presence of DDPH stable radical (IC50 2 µg/ml). These extracts also showed strong reducing power by the potassium ferricyanide reduction method. Leaf and seed extracts may be exploited as biopreservatives in food applications as well as for health supplements or functional food, to aliviate oxidative stress.