Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and Anthocyanin Content of Purple-Fleshed Sweetpotato

摘要

Multiple antioxidant indices, such as oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), l,l-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging capacity, and superoxide anion scavenging capacity, are used to express the antioxidant capacity of foods. In 2007, scientists with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published an updated list of ORAC values for 277 foods commonly consumed by the U.S. population. Moreover, antioxidant dietary supplements and foods with ORAC values are now being marketed in the U.S. Purple-fleshed sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) plants containing anthocyanin pigments exhibit a potent DPPH radical-scavenging capacity ; however, sweetpotato cultivars bred in Japan have not yet been evaluated by ORAC assay. This researchpaper reports ORAC values of ten sweetpotato cultivars with various flesh colors, and the correlation between anthocyanin content and ORAC value for purple-fleshed sweetpotato cultivars and breeding lines.