Using two methods (ferric reducing antioxidant power and radical scavenging activity), the total polyphenol content (Folin–Ciocalteu reagent) and polyphenol patterns (HPLC) in 10 commercial lager beer brands produced in Romania was determined. Samples bottled in glass, plastic and aluminium packages were analysed for each brand when available. Results have indicated considerable variations in the total and individual phenolic contents as well as antioxidant activity across beer brands. Gallic and feulic acids were the dominant phenolic compounds identified samples. The statistical analysis indicates a significant difference between the levels of antioxidant activity detected using DPPH and FRAP, for all three types of material considered. The statistical test ANOVA indicates that the polyphenol concentration is similar across all types of material.

Helichrysum arenarium (L) Moench (sandy everlasting) is a valuable plant for therapy, having multiple applications in traditional medicine, applications which are confirmed nowadays by science. The main polyphenols found in sandy everlasting flowers were shown to have antioxidant and UVscreen effects. In order to expand our knowledge concerning the synergistic therapeutic effects of the polyphenols from Helichrysum arenarium (L) flowers, an extract was prepared using 50% ethanol as extraction phase, followed by the removing of ethanol using a Royeyov IKA RV10 rotary evaporator. The chemical analysis of the extract consisted in the assessment of total polyphenol content (Folin-Ciocalteu) and flavonoid fingerprint (high-performance thin-layer chromatography -HPTLC). For the polyphenolic extract there were assessed the antioxidant activity (measured by two methods: ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and radical scavenging activity with DPPH)) and sun protection factor (SPF) (assessed using an in vitro spectrometric method). Furthermore, the cytotoxic and antitumor effects were evaluated on two cell lines: pMSCs (palatal mesenchymal stem cells) and HeLa (ATTC® CCL-2™) cell line (epithelial cells derived from human cervical adenocarcinoma). The extract contains apigenin-7-glucoside, luteolin-7-glucoside and rosmarinic acid. The extract shows a significant UV-screen protection effect, particularly for UVB radiations. The extract has not cytotoxic effects on palatal mesenchymal stem cells. The cytometric apoptosis assay on HeLa cell line reveals the in vitro antitumor effect of the extract. The results highlights both antioxidant and antitumor activity as well as the UV-screen effect of the polyphenols from Helichrysum arenarium flowers. All these data not only confirm the high antioxidant properties of the polyphenols contained in the sandy everlasting flowers, but also open new ways of applications for therapy of this plant.

This study aims to highlight the extraction capacity of natural wine for polyphenolic acids from sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.). At the same time, the dynamics of the extraction process of polyphenolic acids, the evolution of the anthocyanin content and the antioxidant activity of the extract over 21 days were monitored. Observation of the extraction dynamics of polyphenolic acids from the selected plants showed that the wine has moderate extractive qualities for this class of compounds. Thus, some phenolic acids of major interest for antioxidant activity were less extracted (gallic acid, 3-methyl gallic acid, and chlorogenic acid) while other acids (p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid) showed better extraction. Also, during extraction, degradation of anthocyanin pigments in wine could be observed, which reduces the therapeutic value of extracts prepared by traditional methods. The chemical changes that occurred during the extraction process showed that a reduction of the extraction period to 8-11 days would be suitable for this type of preparations; thus, the development of degradation processes of polyphenolic compounds can be avoided.

Using two methods (ferric reducing antioxidant power and radical scavenging activity), the total polyphenol content (Folin–Ciocalteu reagent) and polyphenol patterns (HPLC) in 10 commercial lager beer brands produced in Romania was determined. Samples bottled in glass, plastic and aluminium packages were analysed for each brand when available. Results have indicated considerable variations in the total and individual phenolic contents as well as antioxidant activity across beer brands. A statistical analysis was performed to assess the influence of packaging type on the antioxidant activity and phenolic content of the beers. Statistical differences were found between the DPPH and FRAP methods in glass, aluminium and plastic material. Moreover, the antioxidant activity based on the DPPH method is influenced by the type of packaging material, while in the case of FRAP method, no statistical difference was reported. Furthermore, the same analysis has shown that the polyphenol concentration is invariant to the type of material.