Antioxidative Properties of Different Solvent Extracts from Persimmon (Diospyros kaki cv. Fuyu) Flower-Buds

After preparation of acetone, ethanol, methanol, and water extracts (10 g/300 mL) of dried persimmon (Diospyros kaki cv. Fuyu) flower-buds, total phenolic contents (TPC), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (RSA), 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) RSA, reducing power (RP), and tyrosinase inhibitory activity of the extracts were evaluated. The methanol extracts produced the highest TPC (113.39 ㎎ gallic acid equivalents/g), DPPH RSA (IC 50 = 40.25 ㎍/mL), ABTS RSA (IC 50 = 58.17 ㎍/mL) and RP (IC 50 = 69.43 ㎍/mL) activities while the water extracts generated the lowest values. The ethanol extract showed the highest tyrosinase inhibitor activity (88.90%) at a concentration of 1 ㎎/mL. These results indicated that persimmon flower-buds may be a useful source of natural antioxidants.