Abstract:
As functional food, berries have recently attached increasingly amount of attention due to their high antioxidant capacity. The analytical methods used to identify the antioxidant content and phenolic profile of berry samples were spectrometric methods, chromatographic method (RP-HPLC) and electrochemical method (Cyclic Voltammetry). Since electro-analytical approaches are with great beneficial of high efficiency and sensitivity, and there are very limited previously published data on determination of antioxidant activity by this method. One of the aims of this study was to evaluate electrochemical approach as a tool to determine antioxidant activity and identify phenolic compounds in berries. The phenolic compounds were analysed in triplicate in a selection of 6 different types of berries (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, boysenberry, blackberry and blackcurrant) from different regions within New Zealand, and cranberry was imported from Canada. The results of phenolic contents varied between the same varietal of berry grown in different regions. Significant differences were also found among different kinds of berries in terms of their antioxidant activity.
