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Antioxidant activities of volatile components isolated from Eucalyptus species
Author(s) -
Lee KwangGeun,
Shibamoto Takayuki
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.980
Subject(s) - chemistry , thymol , hexanal , antioxidant , eucalyptus globulus , benzyl alcohol , eucalyptus , trolox , food science , aldehyde , alcohol , organic chemistry , chromatography , essential oil , botany , antioxidant capacity , biology , catalysis
Extracts of three species of eucalyptus leaves ( Eucalyptus polyanthemos Schauer, E globulus Labill and E perriniana ) and their major volatile components were assessed for antioxidant activity in two different assays. The inhibitory effect of each extract and its components towards aldehyde/carboxylic acid conversion was measured over a period of 30 days. Their inhibitory effects towards malonaldehyde formation from lipid by oxidation with Fenton's reagent were also measured; the extract from E polyanthemos inhibited the oxidation of hexanal completely for 30 days at a level of 200 and 500 µg ml −1 . It also inhibited malonaldehyde (MA) formation in cod liver oil by 86% at the 160 µg ml −1 level. At the 500 µg ml −1 level, thymol, 1,8‐cineole, benzyl alcohol and terpinen‐4‐ol identified in the extract from E polyanthemos reduced the extent of hexanal oxidation over a period of 30 days by 100, 96, 82 and 75% respectively. In the lipid/MA assay, thymol, benzyl alcohol, terpinen‐4‐ol and 1,8‐cineole inhibited MA formation by 80, 63, 58 and 26% respectively at the level of 160 µg ml −1 . Thymol exhibited potent antioxidant activity comparable to that of the known natural antioxidant α‐tocopherol. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry