Measuring bioactivity of Black Sea area traditional foods

Introduction. In order to find new potential sources of natural antioxidants, in this study a large number of vegetable traditional foods of the Black Sea Area (BSA) were tested in respect of their antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content. The present work is part of the 7FP BASEFOOD, which aims to revalue traditional BSA foods considered an extraordinary source of bioactives but nowadays still neglected from scientific literature. Methods. 39 different foods, grouped in different categories (cereals, vegetables, fruits, oilseeds, herbs and spices, fermented products), were analysed. Traditional dishes were prepared (under the seasonal availability of ingredients), freeze-dried and sent to the University of Bologna by local Partners of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Samples were prepared using a water/ethanol extraction procedure. Extracts were examined for their antioxidant capacity and polyphenol content. As the moisture content significantly varied among different samples, the bioactivity was calculated on the basis of fresh weight of the original sample. Data were then analysed with a multi-functional approach in an omic perspective. Results and Discussion. On fresh weight basis, some BSA traditional foods showed a considerably strong antioxidant response. The antioxidant capacity was therefore normalized per serving size, and compared to total phenolic content. Using the principal component analysis (PCA) it was therefore possible to establish a ranking of bioactivity of the different foods. This characterization of traditional foods of BSA could be useful for exploiting them in a more than cultural way. In fact, the scientific knowledge of their bioactive components may enhance the use of these foods in other Countries and contribute to consider them as “new” traditional foods.