The levels of lignans and the antioxidant capacity of perilla oils (15 types, PO) consumed in Korea were determined. Mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography was used for measuring the lignan content in the perilla oil, while the antioxidant activity was analyzed using the contents of polyphenols and flavonoids along with radical scavenging activity. The range of the total lignan content was 15.281 to 1,336.688 μg/100 g, with PO3 demonstrating the highest amount. The antioxidant activity showed that PO5 had the highest polyphenol content and radical scavenging capacity, while PO2 showed the highest flavonoid content. Radical scavenging activity showed a strong correlation with polyphenol content. These results indicate that perilla oil could function as a functional food, particularly with respect to antioxidant activity.
Kim et al. (Sun,) studied this question.