Chemical determinations were performed on each fraction and their capacity to inhibit lipoxygenase activity, lipid peroxidation, catalysed by Fe2+, and their antiradical activity, using the DPPH assay, were tested. Most of the fractions act as inhibitors against lipoxygenase and also possess scavenging capacity against DPPH radical, while, only a few of them inhibit non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation. These results indicate that a fraction’s antiradical activity does not necessarily correlate to its inhibitory activity against lipid peroxidation. Additionally, a fraction’s total phenolic and ortho-phenolic concentration does not necessarily determine its ability to inhibit lipoxygenase and its antiradical activity.
These results give information about the anti-inflammatory and antiradical effects of wine micro-constituents and support the idea that the molecular structure of phenolics rather than their amount is important for the biological activity of a wine.