Antioxidant Evaluation in Dessert Spices Compared with Common Food Additives. Influence of Irradiation Procedure

Abstract

The antioxidant properties of seven dessert spices (anise, cinnamon, ginger, licorice, mint, nutmeg, and vanilla) were compared with those of the common food antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) (E-320), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (E-321), and propyl gallate (E-310). The influence of irradiation process on antioxidant activity was also evaluated. Mint and cinnamon exhibited a higher percentage of inhibition of oxidation than the other spices analyzed and the food antioxidants, as tested by the lipid peroxidation assay (LOO*). Nutmeg, anise, and licorice showed the strongest protection in the deoxyribose assay (OH*). Vanilla exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in the peroxidase-based assay (H2O2). Nutmeg, propyl gallate, ginger, and licorice improved the stability of oils (sunflower, corn, and olive) and fats (butter and margarine) against oxidation (110 degrees C Rancimat). Cinnamon was a better superoxide radical scavenger than the other analyzed spices and additives. When the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay was used to provide a ranking order of antioxidant activity, the result in decreasing order of antioxidant capacity was cinnamon approximately equal to propyl gallate > mint > anise > BHA > licorice approximately equal to vanilla > ginger > nutmeg > BHT. Irradiated samples did not show significant differences (p < 0.05) in the antioxidant activity with respect to the non-irradiated samples (1, 3, 5, and 10 kGy) in the assays used.

Effect of Gamma Irradiation on Total Phenolic Content and &lt;i&gt;in Vitro&lt;/i&gt; Antioxidant Activity of Pomegranate (&lt;i&gt;Punica granatum&lt;/i&gt; L.) Peels

“…Irradiation also did not influence the antioxidant activities of cinnamon to a great extent, although a small decrease was observed in the range of 20 -25 kGy [24]. Murcia et al [25] carried out quantitative evaluation of antioxidant capacity based on Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) that can be used to provide a ranking order of antioxidants. They have also observed that, the irradiated samples did not show differences from non-irradiated ones in TEAC values.…”

Antioxidant activity of Maytenus imbricata Mart., Celastraceae

“…Experiments adopted to verify antioxidant activity of non-polar extracts and compounds (Murcia et al, 2004) must be used to obtain real conclusions about the antioxidant activity of M. imbricata non polar constituents.…”

“…Both CTC and MPC in all concentrations tested shown FRS activity Antioxidant activity of Maytenus imbricata Mart., Celastraceae superior to BHA (100 ppm) and GA (100 ppm) (Table 6 and 7). Phenolic compounds represent one of the greater groups of bioactive compounds encountered in vegetable kingdom (Li et al, 2006) and many of them shown antioxidant activity observed through different assays (Murcia et al, 2004;Kranl et al, 2005;Carvalho et al, 2008). Correlations between the antioxidant compound content in the material submitted to tests and the antioxidant activity are not easy to explain only using quantitative analyses (Capecka et al, 2005).…”

Fate of 14C-ethyl Profenofos in Soybean Seeds and Oils, Residue Removal, Bioavailability, Toxicity and Protective Action of Cinnamon Extract towards Experimental Animals

“…Cinnamon (C. zeylanicum, Family Lauraceae) is a popular flavoring ingredient, widely used in food products. It has exhibited beneficial properties to health, such as antimicrobial activity, for controlling glucose intolerance and diabetes, inhibiting the proliferation of various cancer cell lines and for treating the common cold (18,19) . In Eastern and Western folk medicine it is used for treating abdominal and chest pains, chronic diarrhea, hypertension, kidney disorders and rheumatism.…”