Abstract

Muscadine grapes have demonstrated to have a higher concentration of total polyphenolics when comparedto other fruits and vegetables. Procyanidins and other polyphenols have potential health benefits as antioxidants with theability to scavenge free radicals and act as anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour agents. The purpose of this study was toextract, identify, and determine the antioxidant capacity of procyanidins contained in Muscadine grape seeds using an acidhydrolysis (4N HCL-methanol) method. This method yielded one or more fractions that demonstrated an antioxidant activitygreater than intact ground seeds. Antioxidant capacity of these extracts was analyzed using the oxygen radical absorbancecapacity assay (ORAC) and total phenol analyses. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and HPLC-MS (massspectroscopy), were used to determine the polymeric content of procyanidins. The methanol-water extracts yielded higherORAC (114 Trolox equivalents) and total phenol values (18,880 GAE meq vs. 2,020 GAE meq) compared to acid hydrolyzedextracts. These results demonstrate the potential use of waste by-products from juices and wines as significant sources ofantioxidants in food and nutraceutical industries.