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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Urbana, Illinois » Global Change and Photosynthesis Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #208815
Title: Estimation of total phenolic content and other oxidation substrates in plant tissues using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent

Author
item Ainsworth, Elizabeth - Lisa
item GILLESPIE, KELLY - UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Submitted to: Nature Protocols
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/9/2007
Publication Date: 4/12/2007
Citation: Ainsworth, E.A., Gillespie, K.M. 2007. Estimation of total phenolic content and other oxidation substrates in plant tissues using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Nature Protocols. 2:875-877.

Interpretive Summary: Non-structural phenolic compounds provide a variety of functions to plants, including acting as antioxidants. We describe a microplate-adapted colorimetric total phenolics assay, which utilizes Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) reagent. This assay is described with two other assays for measuring the antioxidant capacity of leaf tissue extracts. These assays provide scientists with high-throughput tools for screening the response of plants to environmental stress.

Technical Abstract: Non-structural phenolic compounds provide a variety of functions to plants, including acting as antioxidants. We describe a microplate-adapted colorimetric total phenolics assay, which utilizes Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) reagent. The F-C assay relies on the transfer of electrons in alkaline medium from phenolic compounds to phosphomolybdic/phosphotungstic acid complexes, which are determined spectroscopically at 765 nm. While the electron transfer reaction is not specific for phenolic compounds, the described extraction procedure eliminates ~85% of ascorbic acid and other potentially interfering compounds. The assay is performed in microcentrifuge tubes and assessed in a 96-well plate reader. At least 64 samples can be processed in one day.