Antioxidant properties of selected non-leafy vegetables

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the antioxidant properties (capacity and component) of four non-leafy vegetables. The correlation between the antioxidant capacity and its components of the studied vegetables was also assessed. Design/methodology/approach: Winged beans, also known as four-angled bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus), French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), string bean (Vigna sinensis) and snow pea (Pisum sativum) were selected as samples from among the common non-leafy vegetables consumed by Malaysians. These fresh vegetables were lyophilised and ground and their ethanolic extracts were prepared for antioxidant capacity assays and total phenolic, β-carotene and ascorbic acid contents. Findings: Among the vegetables, string beans showed the highest antioxidant capacity compared to the other vegetables studied (p < 0.05). The total phenolic, ascorbic acid and -carotene contents of snow peas were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the other vegetables. There was a significant positive correlation between scavenging activity and antioxidant components studied. On the other hand, a negative correlation was found between antioxidant activity and its components of the studied vegetables. Originality/value: Previous reports have indicated that vegetables contain high levels of antioxidants. However, data on antioxidant capacity of these non-leafy vegetables are still lacking. This research paper shows the non-leafy vegetables studied is a promising source of antioxidants with good antioxidant capacity. Beside that, along with the studied antioxidant components, other compounds in these vegetables could also contribute to their antioxidant capacity.

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