Antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds in selected herbs

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Food Science
• Pharmacognosy

Background:

• Herbs are widely used in culinary and medicinal applications.
• Assessing antioxidant properties is crucial for understanding health benefits.
• Phenolic compounds are major contributors to antioxidant activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and compare the antioxidant capacities (ORAC) and total phenolic contents of various culinary and medicinal herbs.
• To identify the predominant phenolic compounds in selected herbs.

Main Methods:

• Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assay for antioxidant capacity.
• Total phenolic content determination using gallic acid equivalents (GAE).
• High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with diode-array detection for phenolic compound identification.

Main Results:

• Culinary herbs demonstrated significantly higher ORAC values and total phenolic content compared to medicinal herbs.
• Origanum species and Poliomintha longiflora showed high antioxidant and phenolic content among culinary herbs.
• Catharanthus roseus, Thymus vulgaris, Hypericum perforatum, and Artemisia annua had the highest ORAC values among medicinal herbs.
• A strong linear correlation was observed between ORAC values and total phenolic content in both herb categories.
• Rosmarinic acid was identified as the predominant phenolic compound in several key herbs, including Salvia officinalis and Thymus vulgaris.

Conclusions:

• Culinary herbs possess superior antioxidant potential compared to medicinal herbs studied.
• Phenolic compounds, particularly rosmarinic acid, play a vital role in the antioxidant activity of these herbs.
• Findings support the use of certain herbs for their antioxidant benefits.