Identification and evaluation of antioxidants in Japanese parsley

Abstract

Two cultivars of Japanese parsley were harvested in different seasons; their antioxidant capacities were evaluated by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) methods, and the contents of hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants were compared. Japanese parsley possessed potent antioxidant capacities both in hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts when evaluated by ORAC methods. LC/MS/MS analyses revealed that chlorogenic acid and four kinds of quercetin glycosides were major antioxidants in the hydrophilic extract. Lutein was the main contributor to the antioxidant capacity of the lipophilic extract. Antioxidant capacities of the hydrophilic extracts of both cultivars tended to be higher in winter because of the increase in the contents of chlorogenic acid and quercetin glycosides. An obvious trend in the lipophilic antioxidant capacities or lutein contents was not observed irrespective of the cultivar.

Keywords:

• Antioxidants
• antioxidant capacity
• Japanese parsley
• oxygen radical absorbance capacity

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interests. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the manuscript.

Funding information

This work was supported by a grant-in-aid “A Scheme to Revitalize Agriculture and Fisheries in Disaster Area through Deploying Highly Advanced Technology” from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 26282200, and by Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd., Tokyo, during UNU-Kirin Fellowship Programme of RV Manaois at NFRI in 2014-15.