A comparative study on the antioxidant properties of Slovakian and Austrian wines

The antioxidant properties of 86 wine samples (35 white and 17 red from the Slovak, and 12 white and 22 red from the Burgenland, regions) were investigated by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt cation radical (ABTS+) as oxidants. Generally, the red wines showed, on the average, more than 10 times higher antioxidant activity towards ABTS+ than the white wines. A similar ratio was found for the total phenolics content. A linear correlation was found between the antioxidant activities determined by DPPH and ABTS+ and the phenolics concentration. This trend is supported by the significant difference of the total integral value of the aromatic region in 1H NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectra between the red and white wine samples. The content of the phenolic acid components of 16 selected wine samples determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) correlates with the antioxidant activities. No significant differences were found between Slovakian and Austrian wines.