Antioxidant capacity of various medicinal plants, fruits and vegetables

The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant capacity of various medicinal plants and fruits and vegetables from Bosnia. Antioxidant capacity measurements were performed on the leaves of: Tansy, Yarow, Lovage, Peppermint, Lemon Balm, Palmarosa, Madonna Lily and Damask Rose, and fruits of: Wild garlic, garlic, onion, bilberry, wild cherry, strawberry, black mulberry and white mulberry. Method: Antioxidant capacity was determined in the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assay. The ORAC assay is based on the propensity of the fluorescence emitted by fluorescein to be quenched when exposed to free radical action. Results: The antioxidant capacity of medicinal plants was in the following order: Damask Rose 80.4 mmol/g > Peppermint 48.4 mmol/g > Yarow 47.8 mmol/g > Madonna Lily 30.6 mmol/g > Lovage 24.6 mmol/g > Lemon Balm 17.0 mmol/g > Tansy 16.2 mmol/g > Pelargonium 10.0 mmol/g. The antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables was in the following order: onion 42.4 mmol/g > garlic 35.6 mmol/g > wild garlic 33.2 mmol/g > white mulberry 30.5 mmol/g > bilberry 15.7 mmol/g > black mulberry 13.5 mmol/g > wild cherry 12.4 mmol/g > strawberry 5.6 mmol/g. Conclusion: The analysis of antioxidant capacity of various medicinal plants, fruits and vegetables can be useful for the characterisation of overrall antioxidant status in biological samples.