Title:Antioxidant Properties and Polyphenol Screening of the Leaves of Native
Hungarian Oak (Quercus) Species
Volume: 18
Issue: 1
Author(s): Tamás Hofmann*, Eszter Visi-Rajczi and Levente Albert
Affiliation:
- Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry, University of Sopron, Sopron, Hungary
Keywords:
Quercus, high-performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, acylated polyphenols, antioxidant capacity, forestry byproducts.
Abstract: Abstract: Due to their ecological significance and timber value, Quercus species are especially important
in Hungary. Nevertheless, the leaves of these species lack a dedicated utilization field and
are considered a waste biomass.
Materials and Methods: The present study comprehensively analyses three selected oak species
(Q. petraea, Q. pubescens, Q. cerris) native to Hungary to assess their antioxidant capacity (FRAP,
ABTS, DPPH) and provide information on their polyphenol pool using state-of-the-art liquid chromatographic/
tandem mass spectrometric technique. To the best of our knowledge, no such investigation
has yet been conducted for the assigned species.
Results: According to the results, the antioxidant capacity of the three species’ leaves are roughly
equal. Altogether, 109 compounds have been tentatively identified and described, including phenolic
acid derivatives, tannins, flavonoid glycosides, and catechins. Compared to other oak leaf samples
and other types of plant tissues, the investigated samples contained a large number (24) of acylated
polyphenols.
Conclusion: The recent findings on the excellent antioxidant and antibacterial properties of acylated
polyphenols suggest that the investigated samples could also be beneficial to human health, requiring
further analysis.