In northern China, clove is a common plant. Its extracted eugenol exhibits a variety of biological properties, including antioxidant and antibacterial effects. This study looked at eugenol's antioxidant potential and its impact on the flora in the intestinal tract of humans. Eugenol's ability to scavenge superoxide anions and 2,2-biphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, as well as its impact on the growth of common intestinal bacteria Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli, were studied at various eugenol concentrations. The results showed that different optimal antioxidant concentrations of eugenol existed for different free radicals, and the optimal antioxidant concentrations for DPPH and superoxide anion were 0.16 μL/mL and 0.04 μL/mL, respectively. Low concentrations of eugenol had no significant inhibitory effect on Lactobacillus but a significant inhibitory effect on E. coli. This research is anticipated to offer a theoretical reference for the use of eugenol in specialized dietary food applications.
Keywords: antioxidant capacity; clove; eugenol; free radicals; intestinal flora.