The content of total polyphenols and antioxidant activity in red beetroot.

Red beetroot ( Beta vulgaris rubra ) is an important raw material of plant origin with proven positive effects on the human body. They can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed and roasted. Red beetrooot is a rich source of minerals substances (manganese, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper). Beetroot contains a lot of antioxidants, vitamins (A, C, B), fiber and natural dyes. Red beetroot is also rich in phenol compounds, which have antioxidant properties. These colorful root vegetables help protect against heart disease and certain cancers (colon cancer). In this work we evaluated content of total polyphenols and antioxidant activity in red beetroot. Samples of plant material were collected at full maturity stages from areas of Zohor, Sihelne, and Sliac. Zohor, Sihelne, and Sliac are areas without negative influences and emission sources. Samples of fresh red beetroot were homogenized and were prepared as an extract: 50 g cut beetroot extracted by 100 ml 80% ethanol for sixteen hours. These extracts were used for analyses. The content of the total polyphenols was determined by using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (FCR). The absorbance was measured at 765 nm of wavelength against blank. Antioxidant activity was measured using a compound DPPH˙ (2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) at 515.6 nm in the  spectrophotometer. In the present experiment it was detected, that total polyphenols content in samples ranges from 820.10 mg/kg to 1280.56 mg/kg. Statistically significant highest value of total polyphenols was recorded in beetroot in variety of Renova from locality of Sliac (1280.56 ±28.78 mg/kg). Statistically significant the lowest content of total polyphenols was recorded in beetroot in variety of Renova from the village Sihelne (820.10 ±37.57 mg/kg). In this experiment the antioxidant activity in beetroot was evaluated and compared. The values of antioxidant activity were in interval from 19.63% to 29.82%.