Investigation of the Antioxidant Role of Acidic and Alkaline Hydrolysates of Pectin Isolated from Quince (Cydonia oblonga)

In this research, the antioxidant activity of acidic and alkaline hydrolyzates of pectin isolated from quince (Cydonia oblonga) was investigated. The antioxidant role of quince has been known since before, but so far few papers have been published dealing with the antioxidant role of pectin hydrolyzate. In this study, quince pectin was isolated and hydrolyzed by acid and alkaline hydrolysis. Antioxidant activity was examined using a number of different methods, such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, Cupric Ion Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (CUPRAC) assay, iron chelators, and oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC). Our results, especially the ORAC test, show that depolymerization produces the most substances with antioxidant release properties in the alkaline hydrolysis of quince pectin.