ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and immuno‐modulating activities of takju, a Korean traditional rice wine. Takju samples (Chamsali; Gwangreung; Saengjangsu; Baedali; Gohyang; Yidong) were evaluated in this study. The total polyphenol contents of Chamsali, Gohyang and Yidong were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of white wine. However, the flavonol contents of all takju samples were the significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that of white wine. Furthermore, the results of 1, 1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl and 2, 2‐azino‐bis‐(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) assays revealed that all takju samples possessed significantly (P < 0.05) lower antiradical efficiency than white wine, although takju showed partial radical scavenging activities. Moreover, Chamsali, Baedali and Saengjangsu had significantly (P < 0.05) higher anticomplementary activities than polysaccharide‐K, a known immunoactive polysaccharide. The results of this study suggest that some types of takju have potent antioxidant and immuno‐modulating activities, but that broader studies are required to fully validate the biological activities of takju.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
In this study, we evaluated takju for the presence of chemical compounds such as polyphenol, flavonol, polysaccharide and protein, as well as antioxidant activities and immuno‐modulating activities to investigate its biological activities. To date, no studies have been conducted to compare biological activities of takju and wine, which is known to contain phenolic compounds with high free radical scavenging activity. This study could be useful for researchers who study how to improve the quality of takju and deal with functional compounds in takju.