Cyclic voltammetry to evaluate the antioxidant potential in winemaking by-products

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Biochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Grape pomace, a winemaking byproduct, contains phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties.
• These compounds offer potential health benefits, necessitating methods to quantify their activity.
• Winemaking byproducts represent a valuable, underutilized source of bioactive molecules.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the antioxidant potential of grape pomace, seeds, skins, and stems using electrochemical methods.
• To compare the antioxidant capacity of these byproducts using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and lipid peroxidation inhibition assays.
• To determine the correlation between electrochemical parameters and antioxidant activity.

Main Methods:

• Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was employed to measure the electrochemical behavior and antioxidant potential.
• Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay was used to assess lipid peroxidation inhibition.
• Grape pomace, seeds, skins, and stems were analyzed as distinct byproducts.

Main Results:

• Pomace and seeds exhibited the largest voltammetric peak areas, indicating higher antioxidant potential.
• All byproducts inhibited lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenates, with pomace and seeds showing greater efficacy.
• Flavanol content is suggested as a reason for the higher antioxidant capacity of pomace and seeds.
• Simple regression analysis revealed a strong correlation between CV parameters and lipid peroxidation inhibition values.

Conclusions:

• Cyclic voltammetry is a promising technique for estimating the total antioxidant potential of phenolic extracts from winemaking byproducts.
• Grape pomace and seeds are particularly rich sources of antioxidants with significant lipid peroxidation inhibitory effects.
• The study highlights the potential health benefits and valorization of grape winemaking byproducts.