Correlation of Pigment and Flavanol Content with Antioxidant Properties in Selected Aged Regional Wines from Greece

Selected Greek regional, aged red wines were assessed for their polyphenolic composition using well-established spectrophotometric methodology, and tested for antioxidant potential by three different assays. The total polyphenol (TP) concentration was found to vary from 1217 to 3772 mg L −1 gallic acid equivalents, total anthocyanin (TA) content ranged from 44.3 to 360.1 mg L −1, and total flavanol (TF) from 291.1 to 664.8 mg L −1 catechin equivalents. The antiradical activity was evaluated using DPPH •, and varied from 0.73 to 1.37 m M Trolox® equivalents, while reducing power values were from 5.29 to 10.80 m M ascorbic acid equivalents, using a modified FRAP assay. The hydroxyl free radical scavenging activity was determined with the deoxyribose method, and ranged from 38.5 to 59.9% decrease in A 532 relative to control. The examinations showed that TP and TF may provide a significant contribution to the overall antioxidant status of wines, but TA appears to be a less important factor in this respect. Reducing power was found to be highly associated with the antiradical activity of wines.