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Antioxidant Activity in Fresh Herbs

Graduate #43
Discipline: Chemistry and Chemical Sciences
Subcategory: Chemistry (not Biochemistry)

Genique Nicholas - University of the Virgin Islands
Co-Author(s): Ryan Shaw and Brianna Scotland, University of the Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands



Antioxidants are substances believed to prevent oxidation of substances within a cell. Recent research has shown that antioxidants are used to prevent degenerative diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Some examples of foods with antioxidant are apples, berries, potatoes, grapes, and herbs. The main objectives for our research were: 1) determine the total antioxidant activity in the fresh herbs and 2) to determine which would be the best source for antioxidants. Our hypothesis is that the hydrophilic antioxidant activity (HAA) would be higher than the lipophilic antioxidant activity (LAA) in all of the fresh herbs tested. There were nine different herbs tested, namely sage, parsley, thyme, two types of oregano, basil, chives, mint, and rosemary. These plants were planted and grown specifically at the UVI Greenhouse in the Albert A. Sheen Campus. Antioxidants from these herbs we extracted in both an aqueous (HAA) and organic (LAA) solvents, using an aqueous buffer and ethyl acetate, respectively. In order to determine the antioxidant activity in these herbs the ABTS/H2O2/HRP decoloration method was used and scanned at 730nm using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer. The antioxidant activity was reported as Trolox equivalent per grams dry weight of fresh herbs. From the results, HAA was generally higher than the LAA in all herbs. From the data we collected, mint (12032.13 mol Trolox Equivalent per gram dry weight) had the highest total antioxidant activity. It was also observed that parsley (57.97 mol Trolox Equivalent per gram dry weight) had the lowest total antioxidant activity.

ABSTRACT.docx

Funder Acknowledgement(s): This research is funded by NSF HBCU-UP Grant #1137472.

Faculty Advisor: Bernard Castillo II, bcastil@uvi.edu

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. DUE-1930047. Any opinions, findings, interpretations, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of its authors and do not represent the views of the AAAS Board of Directors, the Council of AAAS, AAAS’ membership or the National Science Foundation.

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