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Antioxidant and nitrite-scavenging activities of Zanthoxylum bungeanum maxim. and Capsicum annuum L.: a synergistic, additive or antagonistic effect of the extracts?

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Abstract

The ingestion of Zanthoxylum bungeanum maxim. (ZBM) and Capsicum annuum L. (CAL) may give a special taste and is becoming more popular worldwide. In this study, the synergistic, additive or antagonistic effects of ZBM with CAL, as well as the possible mechanism were investigated by exploring their antioxidant and nitrite-scavenging activities with the methods of HPLC-TOF-MS, GC-MS, DPPH-, ABTS- and nitrite-scavenging analyses. Results showed that the main identified compounds in ZBM extract were catechin, rutin and hydroxyl-α-sanshool, and that in CAL was capsaicin. ZBM possessed stronger antioxidant abilities than CAL, and a varied interaction between ZBM and CAL could be observed in antioxidant and nitrite-scavenging analysis, which depended on their ratio used. The ZBM–CAL mixture displayed a significant synergism in scavenging DPPH· test at the ratio of 3:1 (ZBM/CAL, w/w), which might be attributed to the synergism of catechin and capsaicin. However, the mixture could show a distinct antagonistic effect in scavenging ABTS·+ at lower ratios. In addition, a general antagonism was observed in scavenging nitrite at all ratios tested, which was in agreement with corresponding antagonism of catechin (and rutin) in ZBM with the capsaicin in CAL. As the key pungency composition of ZBM, hydroxyl-α-sanshool showed no nitrite-scavenging ability, and its combination with capsaicin had distinct antagonism to scavenge DPPH radical and ABTS radical cation. This study is significant for the rational combination of ZBM and CAL used in food processing and cooking in consideration of health benefits.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Key Research and Development program of Sichuan Province of China (2019YFN0172, 2020YFN0041, 2020YFN0151).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People’s Republic of China

    Qing Peng, Rui Mo & Qiang He

  2. School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, People’s Republic of China

    Yunhao Lu

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Correspondence to Qiang He.

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Peng, Q., Lu, Y., Mo, R. et al. Antioxidant and nitrite-scavenging activities of Zanthoxylum bungeanum maxim. and Capsicum annuum L.: a synergistic, additive or antagonistic effect of the extracts?. Eur Food Res Technol 247, 2877–2885 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-021-03845-4

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