In vitro comparison of antioxidant activity of ethanolic extracts of Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant properties of alcoholic extracted of chlorella vulgaris algae and spirulina platensis. Three concentrations of 200, 400 and 600 μg/ml of ethanolic extracts of algae were evaluated using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) tests. The results showed that concentration increased for each algae was accompanied by an increasing in antioxidant activity, so that at 600 μg/ml concentration, DPPH and FRAP values for spirulina were 77.12%, 0.46 and for Chlorella 73.27% and 0.43 at 700, respectively. In terms of the antioxidant power of the algae and the side effects of synthetic antioxidants (carcinogens), it is suggested that algae extracts can be used as an alternatives to synthetic antioxidants (by supplementary tests) in a variety of foods.