Antioxidant potency of highly purified polyepicatechin fractions

Abstract The purpose of this study was to characterise the purified fractions of the novel highly stable polymer polyepicatechin and test them for their antioxidant potency. This paper presents, for the first time, a methodology for separating the fractions for food applications. Polyepicatechin is synthesised, using Green chemistry, through the enzymatic polymerisation, in a water/ethanol mixture of epicatechin (a flavonol found in green tea). The polyepicatechin, which is entirely different from the natural proanthocyanidin, is soluble in a water/ethanol mixture. The ultimate objective is to increase the thermal stability and antioxidant potency of epicatechin so it can be applied to foods, such as poultry and fish, to reduce their rancidity. UV–Vis, FTIR, MS–MS and NMR were used to deduce certain aspects of the structure, and the experimental work was combined with computational modeling. The results show polyepicatechin gives a preferable site of reaction via-resorcinol and the lowest polar fraction shows higher antioxidant potency compared to tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). The next step is to assess the enzyme inhibition and anticancer potency of these fractions.