Antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activity of a novel stilbene analogue as an anti-browning agent

BACKGROUND Tyrosinase inhibitors find potential application in food, cosmetic and medicinal products, but most of the identified tyrosinase inhibitors are not suitable for practical use because of safety regulations or other problems. For the purpose of development of novel tyrosinase inhibitors that meet the requirement for practical application, a novel stilbene analogue (SA) was designed. RESULTS SA was found to possess a potent inhibitory effect against both mono- and diphenolase activities of mushroom tyrosinase, with IC 50 values of 1.56 and 7.15 μmol L –1 , respectively. Compared with a natural tyrosinase inhibitor – kojic acid – the anti-tyrosinase effect of SA was significantly improved. Analysis of inhibition kinetics indicated that SA was a reversible and competitive–noncompetitive mixed-type inhibitor. SA was also found to possess more potent antioxidant activities (DPPH, superoxide anion radical and hydroxyl radical scavenging ability) than those of kojic acid. Cell viability studies revealed that SA was non-toxic to two cell lines. Furthermore, an anti-browning test demonstrated that SA effectively delayed the blackening of shrimp. CONCLUSION SA has potential as an anti-browning agent in foods. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.