Czech J. Food Sci., 2010, 28(4):317-325 | DOI: 10.17221/129/2010-CJFS

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

Diana Chrpová1, Lenka Kouřimská2, Michael Harry Gordon3, Veronika Heřmanová1, Iva Roubíčková1, Jan Pánek1
1 Department of Food Chemistry and Analysis, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
2 Department of Quality of Agricultural Products, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
3 Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading, UK

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.

Keywords: herbs; antioxidant activity; DPPH; fats

Published: August 31, 2010  Show citation

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Chrpová D, Kouřimská L, Gordon MH, Heřmanová V, Roubíčková I, Pánek J. Antioxidant activity of selected phenols and herbs used in diets for medical conditions. Czech J. Food Sci. 2010;28(4):317-325. doi: 10.17221/129/2010-CJFS.
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