Objectives: Many aromatic plants are today considered as the most important sources for the extraction of compounds with strong antioxidant activity. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L., Lamiaceae) is one of the spices widely used in folk medicine, cosmetics, phytopharmacy, and for flavoring food products (Fadel and El-Massry 2000). The genus Rosmarinus L. or Rosemary consists of a few species of aromatic shrubs native to the Mediterranean region. The best known species R. officinalis L. or Common Rosemary has been widely cultivated since antiquity as a herb and garden plant. Furthermore, rosemary is the only spice commercially available for use as an antioxidant in Europe and the United States, marketed in an oil soluble form, in dry powder, and also in water dispersible or water miscible formulations. Phenolic compounds such as carnosol, carnosoic acid, rosmanol, rosmadial, epirosmanol, rosmadiphenol, rosmarinic acid, etc. are considered to have antioxidant activity. However, data regarding this activity of essential oils of rosemary are not abundant and the methods for determination and to estimate their antioxidant activity as potential sources of natural antioxidants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the essential oil profile of several varieties of Rosmarinus officinalis, usually not used for food, and to estimate their antioxidant activity as potential sources of natural antioxidants. Methodology: Essential oils were distilled from the aerial parts of Rosmarinus x. Noeanus and subspecies of Rosmarinus officinalis: 1. R.officinalis Israeli; 2. R.officinalis Majorca pink; 3. R.officinalis Blue rain; 4. R.officinalis Alba; 5. R.officinalis Corsican blue, cultivated in the CRA Sanremo, Italy. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the essential oils were carried out using GC-MS system. The antioxidant activity was determined by using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method (Benzie & Strain, 1996) and in terms of hydrogen-donating or radical scavenging ability, using the stable radical DPPH (Brand-Williams et al. 1995). Results and conclusion: Monoterpene hydrocarbones are abundant in Rosmarinus x noeanus, R.officinalis alba and R. officinalis blue rain¸ while the other species are rich in oxygenated monoterpenes. Sesquiterpenes are not more than 2% in all the examined EOs. Camphor is presented in every subspecies in a range between 15% in R.officinalis Alba and 42% for Majorca pink, while the amount of myrcene ranges between 0.9%(R. officinalis Majorca pink) to 30% (R. officinalis alba). R. x noeanus showed the highest antioxidant activity both with FRAP and DPPH IC50 assay two fold the observed value in R. officinalis Israeli. Among the different subvarieties of R. officinalis, the Israeli produced the highest antioxidant activity, two times higher then that observed in R.officinalis Majorca pink and R.officinalis Corsican blue (FRAP method). The different antioxidant activity is confirmed by the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) od DPPH method.

Antioxidant activities of essential oils from different Rosmarinus officinalis varieties

PISTELLI, LAURA;PISTELLI, LUISA
2013-01-01

Abstract

Objectives: Many aromatic plants are today considered as the most important sources for the extraction of compounds with strong antioxidant activity. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L., Lamiaceae) is one of the spices widely used in folk medicine, cosmetics, phytopharmacy, and for flavoring food products (Fadel and El-Massry 2000). The genus Rosmarinus L. or Rosemary consists of a few species of aromatic shrubs native to the Mediterranean region. The best known species R. officinalis L. or Common Rosemary has been widely cultivated since antiquity as a herb and garden plant. Furthermore, rosemary is the only spice commercially available for use as an antioxidant in Europe and the United States, marketed in an oil soluble form, in dry powder, and also in water dispersible or water miscible formulations. Phenolic compounds such as carnosol, carnosoic acid, rosmanol, rosmadial, epirosmanol, rosmadiphenol, rosmarinic acid, etc. are considered to have antioxidant activity. However, data regarding this activity of essential oils of rosemary are not abundant and the methods for determination and to estimate their antioxidant activity as potential sources of natural antioxidants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the essential oil profile of several varieties of Rosmarinus officinalis, usually not used for food, and to estimate their antioxidant activity as potential sources of natural antioxidants. Methodology: Essential oils were distilled from the aerial parts of Rosmarinus x. Noeanus and subspecies of Rosmarinus officinalis: 1. R.officinalis Israeli; 2. R.officinalis Majorca pink; 3. R.officinalis Blue rain; 4. R.officinalis Alba; 5. R.officinalis Corsican blue, cultivated in the CRA Sanremo, Italy. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the essential oils were carried out using GC-MS system. The antioxidant activity was determined by using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method (Benzie & Strain, 1996) and in terms of hydrogen-donating or radical scavenging ability, using the stable radical DPPH (Brand-Williams et al. 1995). Results and conclusion: Monoterpene hydrocarbones are abundant in Rosmarinus x noeanus, R.officinalis alba and R. officinalis blue rain¸ while the other species are rich in oxygenated monoterpenes. Sesquiterpenes are not more than 2% in all the examined EOs. Camphor is presented in every subspecies in a range between 15% in R.officinalis Alba and 42% for Majorca pink, while the amount of myrcene ranges between 0.9%(R. officinalis Majorca pink) to 30% (R. officinalis alba). R. x noeanus showed the highest antioxidant activity both with FRAP and DPPH IC50 assay two fold the observed value in R. officinalis Israeli. Among the different subvarieties of R. officinalis, the Israeli produced the highest antioxidant activity, two times higher then that observed in R.officinalis Majorca pink and R.officinalis Corsican blue (FRAP method). The different antioxidant activity is confirmed by the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) od DPPH method.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/237896
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