Antioxidant effect of aqueous extracts from wheat based ready-to-eat breakfast cereals

Aqueous extracts from high bran, whole grain and refined wheat cereals are capable of inhibiting iron/ascorbic acid induced phosphatidylcholine liposome oxidation. High bran and whole grain cereal extracts contained the highest antioxidant activity and were able to inhibit both iron and peroxyl radical-promoted oxidation. Antioxidants in aqueous extracts from the high bran cereal were found in both high and low molecular weight fractions. Aqueous extracts from cereal homogenates that were subjected to simulated gastrointestinal pH treatments exhibited greater antioxidant activity than the untreated aqueous extracts. These data indicate that wheat-based cereals contain antioxidants whose activity is enhanced by gastrointestinal conditions suggesting that they could be important dietary antioxidants. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.