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Antioxidant properties of traditional balsamic vinegar and boiled must model systems

European Food Research and Technology volume 227, pages 835–843 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Traditional balsamic vinegar (TBV) is a natural product prepared with cooked and concentrated locally grown grape must. It has been demonstrated that TBV contains phenols and shows antioxidant activity. In this study we investigated the antioxidant properties of TBV in relation to its content of phenolic compounds, polymeric tannins and Maillard reaction products (MRPs). Results show that TBV has a high antioxidant activity measured with both FRAP and ABTS assays, which is higher or equal to those obtained in some red wines. About 45% of the antioxidant activity of TBV is due to the total polyphenolic fraction. Among polyphenols, tannins contribute to about 50% of the antioxidant activity of the total polyphenolic fraction. The residual antioxidant activity of TBV is due to the melanoidins (about 45%) synthesized during the boiling of the must and the ageing of TBV and to other compounds such as low molecular weight MRPs. When we investigated the effect of heating on the browning and on the formation of antioxidant MRPs in must model systems, we observed a major formation of antioxidant MRPs for the model system containing both amino acids and sugars with respect to the model system containing only sugars. We also tested the effect of some representative phenolic compounds present in must. Only polyphenols were stable in the model solution; however, at our experimental conditions they did not influence the browning and the formation of MRPs. Independent of their bioavailability, dietary antioxidants play an important role in protecting the gastrointestinal tract from oxidative damage and also possibly against a buildup of peroxides and their assimilitation in the digestive tract.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Professor Paolo Giudici and “Consorzio fra produttori di Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia” (Reggio Emilia, Italy) for the supply of traditional balsamic vinegar samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Kennedy 17, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy

    Davide Tagliazucchi & Angela Conte

  2. Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, Italy

    Elena Verzelloni

Authors
  1. Davide Tagliazucchi
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  2. Elena Verzelloni
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  3. Angela Conte
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Correspondence to Davide Tagliazucchi.

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Tagliazucchi, D., Verzelloni, E. & Conte, A. Antioxidant properties of traditional balsamic vinegar and boiled must model systems. Eur Food Res Technol 227, 835–843 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-007-0794-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-007-0794-6

Keywords

  • Antioxidant activity
  • Maillard reaction
  • Melanoidins
  • Model solutions
  • Polyphenols
  • Tannins
  • Traditional balsamic vinegar