Antioksidativna aktivnost odabranih začina sa tržišta Srbije

Abstract

Spices are aromatic parts of herbs with characteristic smell and taste. They are added to food in order to achieve the appropriate organoleptic properties, as well as to extend their shelf life. Since they are sources of natural antioxidants, spices are considered as functional food ingredients. The main goal of this research was determination of total polyphenol and flavonoid content in selected spices from our market and comparative assessment of their antioxidant activity. The study was conducted on ten different commercial samples of herbs. After extraction with ethanol, total polyphenol content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) were determined by spectrophotometric methods. Evaluation of antioxidant potential was carried out using three different tests (FRAP, DPPH, ABTS). Based on these results, values of antioxidant composite index (ACI) was determined by computation. The highest content of polyphenolic compounds was found for cinnamon (61.3±3.1 mg GAE/g), followed by rosemary (30.2±3.6 mg GAE/g) and oregano (21.0±0.8 mg GAE/g), while the lowest content showed shallot (4.3±0.0 mg GAE/g). The content of total flavonoids ranged from 3.2 μmol CE/g (cumin) to 133.7 μmol CE/g (cinnamon). When it comes to antioxidant potential, all three tests showed consistent results. A statistically significant correlation was figured out for total polyphenol content and ACI values (r = 0.976, p<0.01). Based on obtained results, it can be concluded that cinnamon, rosemary and oregano are the rich sources of polyphenol compounds and have conspicuous antioxidant potential.