Abstract
Plant extracts have been proposed as alternative biocides and antioxidants to be included in a variety of food products. In this work, to assess the potential of French lavender, lemon balm, basil, tarragon, sage, and spearmint to be used as food additives, the chemical profiles and bioactivities of such plant extracts were studied. Furthermore, to evaluate the influence of extraction methods and solvents on the chemical characteristics and bioactivities of the plant extracts, two extraction methods (solid-liquid and Soxhlet extraction) and two solvents (water and ethanol 70% (v/v)) were tested for each plant. Groupwise summary statistics were calculated by plant, extraction method, and solvent, and linear models were built to assess the main effects of those terms and their interactions on the chemical characteristics and bioactivities of the extracts. The results revealed that all factors—type of plant, extraction method and solvent—have influence on the chemical profile and antioxidant activity of the resultant extracts. Interactions between factors were also observed. Hydroethanolic Soxhlet extracts presented the least potential as biopreservatives due to their low phenolic content and reduced antioxidant capacity. Oppositely, aqueous Soxhlet extracts and hydroethanolic solid-liquid extracts showed high contents in phenolic compounds and high antioxidant activities. In particular, the hydroethanolic solid-liquid extracts of lemon balm, spearmint, and sage presented the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents, accompanied by a high antioxidant activity, and they revealed antimicrobial activity against four pathogens (S. enterica ser. Typhimurium, E. coli, L. monocytogenes and S. aureus). These results demonstrate the potential of these natural resources to be incorporated as bioactive preservatives in foods or their packaging.
Highlights
In the food industry, synthetic preservatives have been widely used to improve or maintain the properties of foods and to extend their shelf-life
With the potential to be used as food additives, basil, lemon balm, rosemary, sage, spearmint, and tarragon were used to produce twenty-four extracts, testing two extraction methods and two solvents per plant
The outcomes of this study provide insight on the phytochemical profile, antioxidant activity and antimicrobial potential of various plant extracts; they provide insight on the effect of edible plant type, extraction methods and solvents on such characteristics
Summary
Synthetic preservatives have been widely used to improve or maintain the properties of foods and to extend their shelf-life. Some studies have reported gastrointestinal, respiratory, dermatological, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and neurological adverse reactions, the cause-and-effect association between food additives and symptoms is not always well documented [1] In this sense, one of the current trends in food processing is to replace chemical additives with others that are more natural, plant-based, known to be safe from the toxicological standpoint (with GRAS status—Generally Recognized as Safe), in order to satisfy the demand of consumers for “greener” products [2]. One of the current trends in food processing is to replace chemical additives with others that are more natural, plant-based, known to be safe from the toxicological standpoint (with GRAS status—Generally Recognized as Safe), in order to satisfy the demand of consumers for “greener” products [2] For this reason, numerous studies on natural substances, such as plant extracts, have been conducted. These have shown promising results regarding the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of various natural substances, supporting their potential as food preservatives that can be incorporated in the product or its packaging [2,3,4,5]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
