May 20/London/BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine -- In the May 20 issue of BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, V0 AniKamatham Naidu explored the "Antioxidant Potential of Bitter Cumin (Centratherum Anthelminticum (l.) Kuntze) Seeds in In Vitro Models."

The report explains, "bitter cumin (Centratherum anthelminticum (Willd.) Kuntze), is a medicinally important plant. Earlier, we have reported phenolic compounds, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, antimicrobial activity of bitter cumin. In this study, we have further characterized the antioxidative activity of bitter cumin extracts in various in vitro models.

Bitter cumin seeds were extracted with a combination of acetone, methanol and water. The antioxidant activity of bitter cumin extracts were characterized in various in vitro model systems such as DPPH radical, ABTS radical scavenging, reducing power, oxidation of liposomes and oxidative damage to DNA.

The phenolic extracts of bitter cumin at microgram concentration showed significant scavenging of DPPH and ABTS radicals, reduced phosphomolybdenum (Mo(VI) to Mo(V)), ferricyanide Fe(III) to Fe(II), inhibited liposomes oxidation and hydroxyl radical induced damage to prokaryotic genomic DNA.

The results showed a direct correlation between phenolic acid content and antioxidant activity, and the author concluded, "Bitter cumin is a good source of natural antioxidants."

From the May 23, 2011, Prepared Foods' Daily News.