Antioxidative activity of avocado epicarp hot water extract

Abstract

The radical scavenging activity of avocado epicarp extract was investigated and found to be about 2 times higher than those of α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid. Radical scavenging activity was substantially retained after heat treatment at 180°C for 60 min. The antioxidative activities of the avocado epicarp extract and α-tocopherol were measured by the thiocyanate method with a linoleic acid system. The activity of the avocado epicarp extract was higher than α-tocopherol, but a mixture of the extract and α-tocopherol did not show a synergistic effect on activity. The avocado epicarp extract was analyzed by HPLC, with 4 peaks, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, and 2 unknown ones, being detected. These 4 peaks contributed to about 15% of the total antioxidative activity.