The antioxidant activity of 12 aqueous commercial smoke flavorings used in the food industry was
determined by two methods: bleaching of the carotenoid crocin and scavenging of the DPPH radical.
The reaction with the DPPH radical was evaluated by calculating the effective concentration (EC50)
and the antiradical efficiency (AE). A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method was, moreover,
used for the determination of 2-methoxyphenols, 2,6-dimethoxyphenols, and dihydroxybenzenes.
The methoxyphenols were extracted from the aqueous smoke by dichloromethane, and also the
residue aqueous phase was analyzed to determine the more water-soluble dihydroxybenzenes. The
recovery and the repeatability of the method are reported. The total phenolic concentrations of the
smoke flavorings showed a wide range, from about 1000 to 25000 mg/kg. Considering the three
classes of compounds, the concentrations were about 300–3000 mg/kg for the 2-methoxyphenols,
200–11000 mg/kg for the 2,6-dimethoxyphenols, and 140–10000 mg/kg for the dihydroxybenzenes.
The range of the antioxidant activities of the smoke flavorings was wide, reflecting the wide range of
the phenolic concentrations. Good correlations were obtained between the total phenolic concentration
and the antioxidant activities determined by both the DPPH and crocin assays.
