Functional Investigation of Sweet Red Bean Pastes as Anti-oxidant Food : Polyphenol Contents, Superoxide Dismutase Activity, and Inhibitory Effects on Reactive Oxygen Species

Abstract

Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) contains abundant polyphenols, and their anti-oxidant effects have attracted the attention of many researchers. Although the effects of uncooked Adzuki beans and Adzuki bean juice have been reported, the effects of Adzuki bean pastes (sweet red bean paste) have not yet been clarified. Since sweet red bean pastes are easily incorporated into the diet as desserts or snacks, we investigated the polyphenol content and reactive oxygen species (ROS) inhibitory activity of the pastes. From these results, the sweet red bean pastes contained 37.1-62.7 mg of polyphenols per 100 g of bean paste, and exhibited superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity and ROS inhibitory effects in Jurkat cells.