Antioxidant activity of selected phenols and herbs used in diets for medical conditions

Abstract

Chrpová D., Kouřimská L., Gordon M.H., Heřmanová V., Roubíčková I., Pánek J. (2010): Antioxidant activity of selected phenols and herbs used in diets for medical conditions. Czech J. Food Sci., 28: 317-325.The antioxidant capacity of some herbs used in dietology practice was determined by the DPPH free radical method, which was calibrated with ascorbic acid. Partially hydrophilic phenolic compounds are the most active compounds in plants, and therefore water was used as the extraction agent. Besides antioxidant capacity, the content of total phenolic compounds was also measured and a strong correlation between these two variables was found. The extracts of lemon balm (melissa officinalis L.), peppermint (mentha x piperita L.), oregano (origanum vulgare L.), Greek oregano (origanum heracleoticum L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and winter savory (Satureja montana L.) showed very significant activity. It was comparable with the activity of green tea in the case of oregano and peppermint. Lower activity was observed in the case of rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis L.), marjoram (majorana hortensis), hyssop (hyssopus officinalis L.), sweet basil (ocimum basilicum), and lovage (Levisticum officinale Koch.). The inhibitory activity of the herb extracts was monitored also during the autooxidation of lard. Very high antioxidant capacity was observed mainly in sage samples, but also in marjoram and Greek oregano. The extracts of peppermint, oregano, rosemary, winter savory, lemon balm and hyssop showed middle activity comparable to that of α-tocopherol. The antioxidant capacity of sweet basil and lovage was insignificant.

Effect of addition of plant extracts on the durability and sensory properties of oat flake cookies

“…Total polyphenol content in green tea samples measured by Chrpova et al [29] varied between 63.7 and 112.8 mg equivalent of gallic acid per gram of dried leaves. In turn, in the study by Stankovic et al [30], the values for total phenolic content of green extracts ranged from 16.02 to 233.68 mg GA g -1 and were dependent on the solvent used for the extraction.…”

Assessment of inhibitory potential of essential oils on natural mycoflora and Fusarium mycotoxins production in wheat

“…From our data it can be noticed that O4 exhibited the highest FRAP value (650.48 μM Fe 2+  · g -1 ) followed by O1 (246.23 μM Fe 2+  · g -1 ) and O6 (230.03 μM Fe 2+  · g -1 ). The high antioxidant activity of these essential oils could be attributed to phenolic components (mainly, carvacrol and thymol) and their hydrogen donating ability by which they are considered powerful free radical scavengers [53,54]. O2 and O3 showed lower values recorded for FRAP than other investigated essential oils.…”

A pharmacological and phytochemical overview onSatureja

“…Amiri (2011) S. macrostema Gutierrez (2013) and Gutierrez and Navarro (2010) S. montana Cavar et al (2008), Chrpova et al (2010), de Oliveira et al (2012, Giao et al (2009Giao et al ( , 2010Giao et al ( , 2012Giao et al ( , 2013, Grosso et al (2009b), Karaborklu et al (2011), Karamaouna et al (2013), Karpouhtsis et al (1998), Michaelakis et al (2007), and Tunc (1995a, 1995b Espaillat et al (1993) and Grosso et al (2010) (continued ) products, particularly those are highly oxidative and microbial sensitive. Discussion for the antimicrobial activity potential of Satureja species can be extended.…”