The high levels of antioxidant activity of plant-derived natural
chemical substances, especially phenolic compounds, have led
to their use in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Apart from
their antioxidative properties, plant-based materialsmaybe valued
for their antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities
(Rice-Evans et al., 1997), and those substances that have been
shown to inhibit pharmaceutical enzymes such as tyrosinase are
of particular interest for their potential nutritional, nutraceutical
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 332 223 27 81; fax: +90 332 241 01 06.
E-mail address: gokhanzengin@selcuk.edu.tr (G. Zengin).
and pharmaceutical applications (Shi et al., 2005; Farhoosh et al.,
2008).