Study on antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity of Aronia melanocarpa leaf tea extracts

Aronia leaf tea, which is generally discarded after harvesting the fruit, was prepared using three different methods. Water extract from dried Aronia melanocarpa leaf tea (DALT), water extract from steamed Aronia melanocarpa leaf tea (SALT), water extract from roasted Aronia melanocarpa leaf tea (RALT) were manufactured and their functional ingredients were analyzed. The total polyphenol contents in the DALT, SALT, and RALT samples were 33.67 mg GAE/g, 57.79 mg GAE/g, and 53.16 mg GAE/g, respectively. The results from the ABTS radical scavenging activity and FRAP assays showed that there was significantly higher antioxidant activity in SALT and RALT samples than in DALT. The MTT assay revealed that the cytotoxicity of SALT and RALT samples against HeLa cells was higher than that of DALT. These results verified that the phytochemical components of aronia leaves changed based on its tea preparation methods and aronia leaf extracts contain bioactive compounds that have potential health benefits.