The antioxidant content in different dietary item used in Nepal

Ranjit thakur[1],Indu singh[2],kamlesh yadav[3],khim khadka[4],sweta khanals[5]
Page No. 144-152

In Nepal, different plant and animal based diets are used for edible purpose . Plant based diets
protect against chronic oxidative stress related diseases. Dietary plants contain variable chemical
families and amount of antioxidant. Our objective was to develop a comprehensive food database
consisting of total antioxidant content of typical foods as well as other dietary items such as
traditional medicine plants, herbs and spices and dietary supplements. Thus, database is intended
for use in a wide range of nutritional research, from in vitro and cell and animal studies to clinical
trials and nutrition epidemiological studies. We procured samples from the local market and then
assayed the samples for their total antioxidant content using the FARP assay. Our result shows
large variation in antioxidant activity between various categories of food. Antioxidant content of
spices, herbs and supplements were found maximum and introduce significantly more antioxidants
into human diet than animal based or mixed foods
Keywords: Antioxidants , FARP assay , Medicinal herbs , food data base , Nepal