Antioxidant Activity of Blackish Purple Rice

Anthocyanin in blackish purple rice is composed of cyanidin, peonidin, malvidin, pelargonidin and delphinidin flavylium ion and their glucosides, which shows antioxidant activity similar to a-tocoperol. It has been demonstrated that cyanidin-3-glucoside(C3G) of anthocyanin has a high-potency antioxidant activity, and is a prominent in anticancer and antithrombotic activity. In analysis of content of anthocyanin from the genetic source of blackish purple rice, the level of C3G was approximately 80% of total contents of anthocyanins, and showed the highest content in Heugjinjubyeo, of which contains an amount of 500 mg by weight of 100g brown rice in comparison that most of varieties has less than 50mg by weight of 100g brown rice. We found that C3G pigment in blackish purple rice was considerably affected by cultural season, cultivation area, ripening temperature, and weather condition, etc. as well as genetic properties. In cross combination between Heugjinjubyeo and Suwon425, intermediate parent $F_9$ generation which was three times higher or more in C3G content than that of Heugjinjubyeo was bred, of which it contained an amount of 1678 mg by weight of 100g brown rice, and we called it 'C3GHi' Rice. And, we found that the C3GHi rice was more excellent than that of the existing Heugjinjubyeo in anticancer and antithrombotic activity. Methanol extract from Heugjinjubyeo was fractionated by organic solvents in order of n-hexane, $CH_{2}Cl_2$ and n-BuOH, and then oryzafuran, quercetin, vanillic acid and protocatechuic acid and their structures from the n-BuOH fraction were ascertained. Oryzafuran of these compounds was a natural compound found firstly in nature. Quercetin and protocatechuic acid besides new compound oryzafuran showed excellent antioxidant ability to vitamin C. These results suggest that blackish purple rice has very high value as a source of various functional food as well as staple food.