The antioxidant potential of the New Zealand surf clams.

The antioxidant action of three New Zealand surf clams was evaluated for the first time. Aqueous (cd) and ethanolic extracts from Diamond shell - Crassula aequilatera, Storm shell - Mactra murchisoni, and Tua tua - Paphies donacina were studied for their antioxidant potentials using two in vitro assays. The ethanolic extracts were further fractioned into four parts; petroleum ether (pe), ethyl acetate (ea), n-butanol (nb), and the final aqueous fraction (w). Comparing among all fractions tested, the ea fraction of P. donacina showed the strongest free radical scavenging power, with a radical scavenging activity of 76.14% at 20μg/mL. The ea fraction of C. aequilatera had the highest copper reducing activity with an absorbance of 1.596 at 20μg/mL. Results from this study suggest that some bioactive compounds with significant antioxidant effects may exist in the New Zealand surf clams, and could potentially reduce oxidative stress to deliver health benefits or to produce functional foods.