摘要
Pomegranate fruit and its derived products are rich sources of bioactive compounds.They have many biological activities.Pomegranate molasses(PM)is a thick,traditional Middle Eastern syrup used in many recipes for Lebanese and international cuisines.It is a highly nutritious product which makes it of great interest.The purpose of this study was to assess the phytochemical composition,antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties of homemade and commercial PM consumed in Lebanon using samples collected from households in rural areas(n=4)and the market(n=28).The objectives of this study were to determine their total phenolic content using the Follin-Ciocalteu method,their total flavonoid content using aluminum chloride method,their antioxidant activity using DPPH radical scavenging as well as ferrous ion chelating assays and their anti-diabetic activity usingα-amylase andα-glucosidase inhibitory activities with acarbose,a known anti-diabetic drug,used as the standard reference.Homemade PM samples exhibited a higher antioxidant activity than commercial samples,with the most active homemade PM sample having IC_(50)values of 0.09 mg/mL(DPPH radical scavenging assay)and 46.78%ferrous ion chelating assay).Homemade PM samples also showed higher anti-diabetic activity than commercial samples,with the most active homemade PM sample having an IC_(50)values of 0.63 mg/mL(α-amylase inhibitory activity)and of 0.41 mg/mL(α-glucosidase inhibitory activity)and being almost as active as acarbose with both enzymes(1.5 times).Significant inverse strong/moderate correlations were observed between total phenolic content/total flavonoid content and the IC_(50)value of DPPH radical scavenging assay,indicating positive associations between total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity.In addition,significant negative moderate correlations were observed between total phenolic/flavonoid contents andα-amylase inhibitory activity,indicating positive associations between total phenolic and flavonoid contents and anti-diabetic activity.
