In this paper, the antioxidant activities of black and white pepper (Piper nigrum L.) essential oils (BEO and WEO) were evaluated and compared based on radical scavenging activities, reducing power, and DNA oxidative damage protection assays. The results showed that EOS exhibited antioxidant activities, and DNA damage protective effect to various extents. For BEO and WEO, they showed a concentration-dependent antioxidant activity at some concentrations. On the whole, WEO exhibited higher antioxidant activity than BEO. These results suggest that the essential oil of white pepper and black pepper may be a new potential source as a natural antioxidant.
Keywords: Antioxidant activity, Damage protective effect, Essential oil, Pepper
