Antioxidant Capacity Of Bifurcaria Bifucara Lab Report

The antioxidant capacity of Bifurcaria bifurcata extracts from the Peniche coast was evaluated by the analysis of the total polyphenol content (TPC), by the DPPH free radical scavenging activity and by Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). The results are expressed in Table 1. The methanolic fraction was more potent than the dichloromethane fraction, with an EC50 of 58.82µg/mL (50.65 – 68.31), which was very similar with the standards, ascorbic acid and BHT, that exhibited an EC50 of 22.43µg/mL (16.07-31.30) and 40.55µg/mL (27.39 – 60.05), respectively. By contrast, the EC50 obtained for the dichloromethane fraction was 344.70µg/mL (246.10 – 482.80) revealing to be six times less potent than the methanolic fraction. Regarding the TPC,
This is due to the high amount of polyphenolic constituents present in the alga, with polar characteristics, which were capable of functioning as free radical scavengers. Moreover, the high antioxidant activity revealed can be mainly explained by the presence of a unique kind of molecules produced by brown algae, the phlorotannins. Phlorotannins are polymers of phloroglucinol (1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene) and may constitute up to 15% of the dry weight of brown algae and have high antioxidant activity due to the presence of multiple phenolic groups (Koivikko et al., 2008). These phenolic compounds assist the algae to overcome oxidative stress as well as play a putative adaptive role in defense against grazers, such as marine herbivores due to their plasticity characteristics (Chew et al.,
bifurcata can be an interesting source of natural antioxidant compounds. Moreover, algae are rich in polysaccharides and minerals, but very few of them have been used widely as edible plants. The idea of the B. bifurcata as high natural source of antioxidants can potentiate its use and elevate its beneficial value as human food or for additives extraction and purification. Additionally, the antioxidants detected on this alga can be used as an alternative to the synthetic antioxidants such as BHT, which use have been very controversy due to many evidences that can contribute for the development of several diseases related with cancer (Heo et al., 2005). Moreover, the methanolic fraction contains a mixture of compounds therefore the isolation and purification can afford molecules with even higher antioxidant