Evaluation of the Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils From Caper (Capparis Spinosa) and Sea Fennel (Crithmum Maritimum) by Different Methods

Abstract

In this study, essential oils from wild‐grown caper (Capparis spinosa L.) and sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) from Dalmatia (Croatia) were isolated by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Methyl isothiocyanate (92.06%) was detected as major component of essential oil from caper leaves and flower buds, while limonene (58.37%), sabinene (26.46%), terpinene‐4‐ol (5.59%) and γ‐terpinene (2.81%) were identified as dominant compounds in sea fennel essential oil. Tested essential oils did not exhibit radical‐scavenging activity by 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl hydrate method, while they showed the antioxidant activity by β‐carotene bleaching method and thiobarbituric acid reactive species assay. In addition, sea fennel essential oil exhibited very high inhibitory effect on the oxidation of human low‐density lipoprotein. PRACTICAL APLICATIONS Antioxidants are indispensable for the food preservation from oxidative deterioration, as well as for the protection of unsaturated lipids in animal and human tissues. Therefore, the usage of essential oil in foods, which may act as natural antioxidant preservatives, may prolong the shelf life of relevant food products, as well as influence on health of consumers. Essential oils from caper and sea fennel represent alternative for synthetic antioxidants and potential of functional food.

Patterns in Volatile Emission of Different Aerial Parts of Caper (Capparis spinosa L.)

“…The original habitat of this plant is thought to be the desert areas of central and west Asia; this genus, however, has undergone a natural spreading in the Mediterranean Sea basin as well as in tropical areas . It is an eremophyte species; its highly developed root and xylem systems means it can survive in both cold‐ and heat‐stressed environments as the plant can use the groundwater resources ; this also gives this species the ability to grow on very dry spots like walls and rocky coastal areas . The edible parts of this plant are the fruits and the floral buds whose strong, pungent, and peculiar aroma is due to the presence of methyl isothiocyanate .…”

“…It is an eremophyte species; its highly developed root and xylem systems means it can survive in both cold‐ and heat‐stressed environments as the plant can use the groundwater resources ; this also gives this species the ability to grow on very dry spots like walls and rocky coastal areas . The edible parts of this plant are the fruits and the floral buds whose strong, pungent, and peculiar aroma is due to the presence of methyl isothiocyanate . In Italy, Capparis spinosa is commonly found as a ruderal species covering ancient city walls; the analyzed specimens were collected from the medieval walls of Pisa where the shrubs of capers cover wide areas.…”

“…As far as we know, there is no other study presenting the composition of the essential oil of bloomed caper flowers. The literature reports analyses of the essential oil of caper seeds , fruits , roots , leaves , and floral buds . The essential oil of the seeds is mainly rich in non‐terpene derivatives, the most abundant being hexadecanoic acid in samples collected in China .…”

“…Kulisic‐Bilusic et al . analyzed the essential oil from both leaves and floral buds of C . spinosa ; they identified the non‐terpene derivatives as the most abundant group of compounds, with methyl isothiocyanate as the major compound (about 92%).…”

Characterization of Aroma‐Active Compounds, Phenolics, and Antioxidant Properties in Fresh and Fermented Capers (Capparis spinosa) by GC‐MS‐Olfactometry and LC‐DAD‐ESI‐MS/MS

“…The electron donation capability of the final extract was measured by bleaching the purple‐colored solution of the 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical according to the Kulisic‐Bilusic, Blažević, Dejanović, Miloš, and Pifat () method. The absorbance of the solution was then measured at 515 nm.…”