Physicochemical Characterization and Antioxidant Properties of Essential Oils of <i>M. pulegium</i> (L.), <i>M. suaveolens</i> (Ehrh.) and <i>M. spicata</i> (L.) from Moroccan Middle-Atlas

The cosmetics and food fields are based on the use of synthetic substances to protect their products against oxidation. However, synthetic antioxidants were reported to have negative effects on human health. The interest to develop natural antioxidants from plants has been growing in recent decades....

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nadia Zekri, Hanane Elazzouzi, Atika Ailli, Aman Allah Gouruch, Fatima Zahrae Radi, Mohammed Alaoui El Belghiti, Touriya Zair, Gema Nieto, Juan A. Centeno, José M. Lorenzo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-02-01
Series:Foods
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/4/760
Description
Summary:The cosmetics and food fields are based on the use of synthetic substances to protect their products against oxidation. However, synthetic antioxidants were reported to have negative effects on human health. The interest to develop natural antioxidants from plants has been growing in recent decades. The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant properties of three essential oils (EOs) of <i>M. pulegium</i> (L.), <i>M. suaveolens</i> (Ehrh.) and <i>M. spicata</i> (L.) from the Azrou and Ifrane regions. The organoleptic characteristics, yields and physical properties were determined for the selected EOs. Their chemical compositions were identified using GC-MS; then, their antioxidant activities were evaluated using the DPPH<sup>•</sup> free radical scavenging activity and were compared with the ascorbic acid standard. The determined physicochemical parameters of dry matter and EOs demonstrated their good quality. The analysis of the EOs showed the dominance of pulegone (68.86–70.92%) and piperitenone (24.81%), piperitenone oxide (74.69–60.3%), and carvone (71.56–54.79%) and limonene (10.5–9.69%) for <i>M. pulegium</i>, <i>M. suaveolens</i> and <i>M. spicata</i>, respectively, from Azrou and Ifrane. Additionally, the antiradical tests demonstrated the remarkable power of these EOs, especially <i>M. pulegium</i> EO (IC<sub>50</sub> = 15.93 mg/mL), which recorded the best activity compared with ascorbic acid (IC<sub>50</sub> = 8.849 mg/mL). The obtained results indicated that these EOs could be applied as natural antioxidants in the food industry.
ISSN:2304-8158