Effect of Harvest Season on Polyphenol Profile and Antioxidant Activities of Seomae Mugwort (Korean Artemisia argyi H. Lé v. & Vaniot)

The effect of the harvest season of polyphenol mixtures isolated from Seomae mugwort (SM, Korean Artemisia argyi H. Lé v. & Vaniot) plant was evaluated in terms of the content and antioxidant capacity. The results indicated a clear difference of total phenolic and individual polyphenolic contents in SM depending on harvesting time. The total polyphenol content was highest in SM collected in June (138.64 mg/kg) followed by that in May (125.34 mg/kg) and that in August (82.34 mg/kg). The antioxidant activity of the SM polyphenol mixture was measured in terms of assays like DPPH•, ABTS•+, superoxide anion radical-scavenging activities, and FRAP reducing power. The antioxidant activity order is roughly in accordance with the total polyphenol contents based on the harvest seasons. It was observed that the antioxidant activity depends mainly on the content of hydroxyl cinnamates and flavonoids, which are the major polyphenol compounds.