Antioxidant Activity and Total Phenolic Content in Some Cereals and Legumes

The antioxidant activities and total phenolic content of 4 cereals (buckwheat, wheat germ, barley, and rye) and 4 legume seeds (lentils, mungo bean, red kidney bean, and soy bean) were determined. The total phenolic content (TPC), determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteu method, for cereal samples varied from 13.2 to 50.7 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g of dried extract, while for legume samples varied from 17.0 to 21.9 mg Gallic acid equivalent/g of dried extract. Antioxidant activities were comparatively assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity, ferric ion-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method. The tested plant extracts showed promising antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity, thus justifying their traditional use. Among examined cereals all the applied methods, except TBA method, have shown that buckwheat have the highest antioxidant activity, while among examined legumes results varied depending on the method used.