Abstract Enzymatic browning causes color changes in fruits and vegetables, negatively impacting their quality, sensory appeal, and nutritional value to consumers. The primary enzyme responsible for this process is polyphenol oxidase (PPO). In this study, the inhibitory activities against polyphenol oxidase, antioxidant capacity, and antibacterial activity of some chalcone derivatives were investigated. The antioxidant potential was evaluated using two different assays, namely ABTS and FRAP assays. The compounds 4′‐hydroxychalcone and 4‐nitrochalcone were found to have significant activity compared to standard antioxidants such as BHA, BHT, and Trolox. The antibacterial activities of chalcones were also evaluated against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus . 4‐fluorocalcone and 4,4′‐difluorocalcone were found to have the best activity against the tested bacterial strains. In inhibition studies, 4,4′‐difluorocalcone exhibited more potent inhibition than other compounds, with an IC 50 of 0.021 mM and K i values of 0.087 ± 0.0257. Molecular modeling studies were conducted to elucidate the interaction between PPO enzymes and their inhibitors. According to molecular dynamics studies, the most effective inhibitor was 4,4′‐difluorochalcone (IC50: 0.021 mM), with a docking score of −4.917 kcal/mol. The results of inhibition studies and molecular modeling studies were found to be consistent with each other.
Öztürk et al. (Tue,) studied this question.