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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Commodity Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #323413
Research Project: Developing Technologies that Enable Growth and Profitability in the Commercial Conversion of Sugarcane, Sweet Sorghum, and Energy Beets into Sugar, Advanced Biofuels, and Bioproducts

Location: Commodity Utilization Research

Title: Polyphenolic reductants in cane sugar

Author
item Uchimiya, Sophie
item HIRADATE, SYUNTARO - National Institute For Agro-Environmental Sciences
item CHOU, CHUNG - National Institute For Agro-Environmental Sciences

Submitted to: Austin Food Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/3/2016
Publication Date: 10/3/2016
Citation: Uchimiya, M., Hiradate, S., Chou, C.C. 2016. Polyphenolic reductants in cane sugar. Austin Food Sciences. 1(5):1022.

Interpretive Summary: Exact structures responsible for the putative antioxidant activity of sugarcane extracts is largely unknown. This study utilized advanced spectroscopic methods and oxidative organic synthesis methods to determine the structures responsible for the antioxidant activity of natural products. Polyphenols were the primary structures of sugarcane extracts responsible for the antioxidant activity. Results will facilitate the cosmetic, food, and medical industry to develop commercial antioxidant products.

Technical Abstract: Limited information is available to understand the chemical structure of cane sugar extracts responsible for the redox reactivity. This study employed Fremy’s salt to test the hypothesis that hydroquinone/catechol-semiquinone-quinone redox cycle is responsible for the antioxidant activity of sugarcane extracts and grape seed. Antioxidants were analyzed by liquid 1H and 13C NMR before and after oxidation by the Fremy’s salt. Polyphenols in each antioxidant sample were selectively reduced by the Fremy’s salt. Antioxidant having greater amounts of polyaromatic phenols (sugarcane extract from Taiwan < sugarcane extract from Philippines << grape seed) exhibited greater ability to reduce Fe(III) and contained higher amounts of terminal (vanillin) and linking (acid-butanol) proanthocyanidins units. Sugarcane extract from Taiwan was most aliphatic (fluorophores having low Ex/Em wavelengths) and was enriched with ionizable functionalities.