• KSBB Journal
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.155-160
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• 2015

The present study was to investigate the antioxidant activity in ethanol and water extracts of root and stem of Sargassum coreanum. Antioxidant activities were evaluated by total polyphenol contents, DPPH radical scavenging activity, chelating effect, reducing power, and rancimat method. Total polyphenol contents of ethanol and water extracts were 32.79 mg/g and 15.55 mg/g, respectively. Ethanol extract showed higher DPPH radical scavenging activity than water extract and similar activity to BHT. Reducing power of extracts was increased in a concentration-dependent manner and ethanol extract had more reducing power than water extract. Ethanol and water extracts have little chelating effect at all concentrations. Antioxidant index (AI) of ethanol extract measured by Rancimat was higher than that of water extract, but their AI was lower than that of BHT. These results indicate that ethanol extract of S. coreanum root and stem has more potent antioxidant activity than water extract through DPPH radical scavenging and reducing power, and could potentially be used as a good source of natural antioxidants.