Antioxidant capacity and phytochemical content of herbs and spices in dry, fresh and blended herb paste form

Abstract

We determined whether nine common herbs (basil, chili, cilantro, dill, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, oregano, and parsley) and one herb mixture (Italian Herbs) retain the antioxidant capacity (AC) and content of phenolics and characteristic marker compounds during processing to dry and paste forms. Oregano exhibited the highest AC among the herbs tested in dry and fresh forms. Compared with fresh herbs, the AC in dry form was decreased in garlic, chili, dill, oregano and parsley and paste form of oregano and basil. With the exception of dried garlic and lemongrass in fresh and paste form, all herbs in dry, paste, and fresh form contained significant AC. The AC was correlated significantly to the total phenolic content in both dry and fresh form. However, there was no significant correlation between the AC and the concentration of chemical marker compounds. In summary, processed herbs contribute significant amounts of AC to the diet.

Keywords::

• Antioxidant capacity
• herbs
• spices
• total phenolic content

Acknowledgements

Partial data have been presented in poster form at the Experimental Biology Annual Meeting 2007 in Washington, DC, 27 April–2 May (Henning et al. 2007).

Declarations of interest: Limited financial support for the determination of the antioxidant capacity was provided by Gourmet Garden. The chemical analyses were supported by Division Funds of the Department of Medicine of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The authors report no conflicts of interest. No one from Gourmet Garden had any role in the conduct of the study, in the analysis of the data or in the preparation of this manuscript. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the manuscript.