WILD-RICE MULL ANTIOXIDANTS

Wild rice hulls (WRH) have not been utilized in any valuable manner. M innesota WRH have been shown by us to possess antioxidant properties. The methanol extract of hulls showed antioxidant activity when added t o ground beef, as evaluated by the content of thiobarbituric acid reac tive substances (TEARS). The results of an ammonium thiocyanate assay also showed that some fi actions of the hull methanol extract (MeOH:H2 O, 75:25) have strong antioxidant activity. The yield of the evaporate d methanol extract was 2.51% of WRH. The crude methanol extract was fr actionated according to hydrophobicity. The antioxidant assay revealed that eluates of MeOH: H2O (50:50, 75:25) and absolute methanol have t he strongest antioxidative activity in ground beef, as measured by the content of TEARS. Antioxidants were isolated from the 75:25 eluate an d identified by mass spectrometry as 2,3,6-trimethylanisole (anisole); m-hydroxybenzaldehyde; 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (vanillin); an d 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde (syringal-dehyde). Another compo und identified, 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran, was a prooxidant.