Synergistic effect of selected carboxylic acids and phenolic compounds detected by the FRAP method

• Published in: Food Chemistry: X Vol. 23; p. 101573
• Main Authors: Švestková, Petra, Balík, Josef, Soural, Ivo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 30.10.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Antioxidants; Carboxylic acids; FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power); Methoxyphenols; Polyphenols; Synergistic effect; Antioxidants; Polyphenols; Synergistic effect; Carboxylic acids; Methoxyphenols; FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power)
• ISSN: 2590-1575; 2590-1575
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101573

Antioxidants in nutrition are a widely discussed topic. In this study, a synergistic effect was observed for 13 selected substances – antioxidants and potential synergists, whereby two substances were mixed in the same concentration ratio of 1:1. The antioxidant capacity (AC) of the mixtures was determined using the FRAP method. The AC measured was compared with a theoretical AC value (as only additive effect) to calculate the synergistic or antagonistic effect. Out of 78 possible combinations, a synergistic effect (SE) was detected in 72. For the 10 combinations, the SE was more than twice that of the pure substances. The largest synergistic effect was exhibited by vanillin and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid with increases even above 200% compared to the pure substances. Some of the phenolic substances that were subject to measurement can be used for the fortification of fruit juices. •Synergistic effect on AC up to 8.9-fold for food compounds.•Increase in AC of real mixtures by up to 5.5 mM Trolox (ie +85% vs. hypothetical).•Compounds with low AC showed higher synergistic effects and vice versa.•Synergists improve the AC of real food.