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Antioxidant Properties of Three Aromatic Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme and Lavender) in Oil-in-Water Emulsions

Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society

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Abstract

Lipid oxidation is the major form of deterioration in foods because it decreases food quality and nutritional value, and may have negative health implications. Selected aromatic plant extracts from leaves, flowers and stems of rosemary, thyme and lavender were investigated for their antioxidant activity. The total polyphenol content was determined by the Folin–Ciocalteu assay and the antioxidant capacity was determined by the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, oxygen radical absorbance capacity and ferric-reducing antioxidant power assays. For all four antioxidant assays, the extracts from thyme flowers, lavender leaves and thyme leaves had the highest antioxidant activity, followed by rosemary stems, rosemary leaves, and lavender stems, and the lavender flowers and thyme stems had the lowest antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity was correlated with the polyphenol content, although minor deviations were observed. In oil-in-water emulsion, extracts from rosemary leaves and thyme leaves were most effective at retarding oxidation followed by the rosemary stems and thyme flowers. Extracts from thyme flowers and lavender leaves were less effective in the emulsion than predicted by the homogeneous antioxidant assays. This study demonstrated the potential use of plants extract as substitutes for synthetic antioxidants.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Margarita Dávila and the Comunidad de Trabajo de los Pirineos.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Av. Diagonal 647, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    M. Gabriela Gallego, Francisco J. Segovia, Monika Skowyra & María P. Almajano

  2. Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 226, Reading, RG6 6AP, UK

    Michael H. Gordon

Authors
  1. M. Gabriela Gallego
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  2. Michael H. Gordon
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  3. Francisco J. Segovia
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  4. Monika Skowyra
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  5. María P. Almajano
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to María P. Almajano.

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Gallego, M.G., Gordon, M.H., Segovia, F.J. et al. Antioxidant Properties of Three Aromatic Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme and Lavender) in Oil-in-Water Emulsions. J Am Oil Chem Soc 90, 1559–1568 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-013-2303-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-013-2303-3

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