The aim of this work was to use different assays to evaluate the antioxidant and vasodilatory properties
of three typical food products from the Mediterranean area and to correlate these activities with their
phenolic content. For this purpose, red wines Cannonau, liqueurs obtained by cold maceration of myrtle
(Myrtus communis L.) berries and bitter honeys obtained from strawberry-tree flowers (Arbutus unedo L.)
were analysed. The total phenolic (TP) content was measured spectrophotometrically with a modified
Folin–Ciocalteau method and phenolic compounds were identified and dosed by HPLC-DAD and LCMS/
MS. Antioxidant activities were evaluated with DPPH, FRAP and ABTS assays and the in vitro vasodilatory
effects were assessed using norepinephrine precontracted rat aortic rings. Cannonau wines and
myrtle liqueurs showed high levels of TP (1978 ± 279 and 1741 ± 150 mg GAE/L, respectively), linearly
correlated to the results of FRAP, ABTS, and DPPH assays. Their maximal vasodilatory activity was
61.7 ± 4.1% and 53.0 ± 3.0%, respectively. Although strawberry-tree honey contained relatively high levels
of phenolic compounds (922 ± 38 mg GAE/kg), it did not induce vasodilation, even at the highest dose
tested (0.206 g/L). These results indicate that foods with high levels of phenolic compounds should be
studied using several different biological assays before being recommended to the general public as functional
foods.