Investigating Pigment Radicals in Black Rice Using HPLC and Multi-EPR

We investigated the location and distribution of paramagnetic species in black and white rice using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), X-band (9 GHz) EPR imaging (EPRI), and HPLC. EPR primarily detected two paramagnetic species in black rice, which were identified as a stable radical and Mn²⁺ species, based on the g values and hyperfine components of the EPR signals. The signal from the stable radical appeared at g ≈ 2.00 and was relatively strong and stable. Subsequent noninvasive two-dimensional (2D) EPRI revealed that this stable radical was primarily located in the pigmented region of black rice, while very few radicals were observed in the rice interior. Pigments extracted from black rice were analyzed using HPLC; the major compound was found to be cyanidin-3-glucoside. EPR and HPLC results indicate that the stable radical was only found within the pigmented region of the rice, and that it could either be cyanidin-3-glucoside, or one of its oxidative decomposition products.