*2.3. Antioxidant Activities of Almond Raw Extracts*

The antioxidant potential of the six almond cultivars was evaluated using three different methods (ABTS, DPPH and β-carotene) which enabled elucidation of the mechanism of action. Raw extract data presented in Table 1 show that highest ABTS and DPPH activities were obtained with Pegarinhos, followed by Casanova. The highest percentage inhibition of lipid peroxidation (β-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching assay) on the other hand was obtained with Glorieta, Casanova and Ferragnès. Overall, the lowest antioxidant activities were recorded in Refêgo.

No correlations were found between the total flavonoid content and antioxidant activities. Nevertheless, positive correlations were found between the total phenolic content and ABTS (R<sup>2</sup> =0.7057, y = 50.67x + 1.7828) and between the total phenolic content and DPPH (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.7892, y = 0.0298x – 0.0093). Such correlations have already been reported in previous works using the same almond cultivars [14–16] (and in studies using walnut [23].
