A comparative evaluation of the composition and antioxidant activity of free and bound polyphenols in sugarcane tips

Food Chem. 2025 Jan 15;463(Pt 4):141510. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.141510. Epub 2024 Oct 2.

Abstract

The sugarcane tip is abundant in phenolic compounds. Previous studies have concentrated on the effects of free polyphenols, while bound polyphenols were overlooked. In this study, the content of bound polyphenols (SPB) (31.9 ± 0.9 mg GAE/g DW) was significantly higher than free polyphenols (SPF) (3.4 ± 0.1 mg GAE/g DW). A total of 44 free and 31 bound phenolics were identified by the UPLC-EIS-QTOF-MS/MS. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of SPB was more pronounced, as evidenced by its higher ABTS+ and DPPH scavenging rates than SPF, which was attributed to the higher tannin content. Furthermore, at all tested concentrations (100 and 200 μg/mL), SPB significantly enhanced the survival and antioxidant enzyme activity of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), while concurrently reducing ROS levels. High concentrations of SPB even exhibited antioxidant activity comparable to Vitamin C (Vc). The collective findings strongly indicate that SPB holds great potential as an effective antioxidant.

Keywords: In vitro antioxidant activity; In vivo antioxidant activity; Metabolite profiling; Phenolic content; Sugarcane tip.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antioxidants* / chemistry
  • Antioxidants* / pharmacology
  • Caenorhabditis elegans* / chemistry
  • Caenorhabditis elegans* / drug effects
  • Caenorhabditis elegans* / metabolism
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Plant Extracts* / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts* / pharmacology
  • Polyphenols* / chemistry
  • Polyphenols* / pharmacology
  • Saccharum* / chemistry
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry*

Substances

  • Polyphenols
  • Antioxidants
  • Plant Extracts