Antioxidant activity of sugarcane molasses against 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride-induced peroxyl radicals

Sugarcane molasses is a rich source of antioxidant materials with peroxyl radical scavenging effects. To explore the potent antioxidant activity of sugarcane molasses against 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced peroxyl radicals, 7 methanolic fractions of sugarcane molasses (F1–F7) were separated via bioassay-guided fractionation and evaluated by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), cellular antioxidant activity (CAA), and oxidative DNA damage protective activity assays. The ORAC values of sugarcane molasses fractions ranged from 4399 to 6266 μmol TE/g, whilst the EC50 values for CAA ranged from 3.7 to 5.9 μg/ml. Moreover, it was found that sugarcane molasses fractions, particularly F6 and F7, could protect against oxidative DNA damage caused by peroxyl radicals at an effective concentration of 100 μg/ml. Ten phenolic constituents were identified in the fractions, including known antioxidative compounds, viz., schaftoside, isoschaftoside, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde.