Production and use of natural antioxidants

Abstract

We have developed a new industrial process for obtaining natural antioxidants from spices and other vegetables by primarily adapting mechanical and physical treatments. Rosemary, sage, paprika, nutmeg and cocoa shells have been submitted to a mechanical treatment (micronization), and the finely powdered material was extracted with an edible vegetable oil, i.e., groundnut. The antioxidant dissolved in the lipid phase was collected by two-stage falling film molecular distillation to separate the lipid phase to be recycled) from the active, low molecular weight fraction. Antioxidant activity was measured for fats, oils and fat-containing foods by oxygen absorption, head-space analysis (i.e., pentane) extent of secondary degradation products and organoleptic evaluations. Results obtained indicate that molecular distillates from spices, i.e., rosemary derivatives, effectively protect foods against oxidative rancidity.