Comparative Analysis of Commercial Chinese Bean Sauce (Chunjang) from Korea and China Based on Antioxidant Activity

In this study, the antioxidant effects of seven types of commercial Chunjang from China (C1∼3) and Korea (K1∼4) were compared for their ability to protect against H₂O₂-induced DNA damage. Outputs included total phenolic content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH RSA), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), total radical trapping antioxidant potential (TRAP), and comet assays. TPC was the highest in C3 (1,250.8 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g). C1 exhibited a significantly higher DPPH RSA IC₅₀ (7.5 mg/mL) and ORAC concentration (8.22 μM Trolox equivalent) compared with all other samples, and C1 and K1 exhibited the highest TRAPs. H₂O₂-induced DNA damage was effectively protected by Chunjang, with a higher observed in C2, C3, and K1 (24.2∼25.3 μg/mL) compared with the other samples (28.3∼30.0 μg/mL). Our results showed that commercial Chunjang contains polyphenol and antioxidant activities. The differences between the samples might be attributed to different origins, materials, and processing methods.