Abstract
The metal chelating activity, antioxidant properties, and the effect on carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes of Ethiopian spice blend Berbere have been investigated. Berbere contains a total amount of phenols corresponding to 71.3 mg chlorogenic acid equivalent per gram of extract and a total flavonoid content of 32.5 mg quercetin equivalent per gram of extract. An increase of the resistance towards forced oxidation was obtained when Berbere was added to sunflower oil. In order to evaluate the bioactivity of the non-polar constituents, an n-hexane extract was obtained from Berbere. The gas chromatographymass spectrometry analysis revealed the presence of 19 fatty acids constituents (98.1% of the total oil content). Among them, linoleic acid was the major component (72.0% of the total lipids). The ethanolic extract had the highest ferric-reducing ability power (35.4 μM Fe(II)/g) and DPPH scavenging activity with a concentration giving 50% inhibition (IC 50) value of 34.8 μg/ml. Moreover, this extract exhibited good hypoglycemic activity against α-amylase (IC 50= 78.3 μg/ml). Inconclusion, Ethiopian spice blend Berbere showedpromisingantioxidant and hypoglycemic activity via the inhibition of carbohydrate digestive enzymes. Theseactivities may be of interest from functional point of view and for the revalorization of the spice blend in gastronomy also outside the African country. © 2011 Informa UK, Ltd.