Industrial Crops and Products
Sanja Ćavar Zeljković, Anela Topčagić, Franc Požgan, Bogdan Štefane, Petr Tarkowski, Milka Maksimović
Satureja montana L. is an aromatic plant from Mediterranean area, which possess wide spectrum of different biological activities. Phenolic-rich extracts from S. montana were obtained by continuous Soxhlet extraction using methanol and chloroform as solvents; following with liquid–liquid extraction clean-up. Part of each extracts was chemically modified using diazomethane. Therefore, eight extracts in total, natural and modified, were subjected for quantification of total phenolic and flavonoid content, as well as for testing of their antioxidant ability. Total phenolic and flavonoid content was determined using spectrophotometric methods, and particular phenolic acids were quantified with HPLC–UV. Furthermore, extracts were analyzed for their antioxidant ability in reducing stable radicals and transition metals, as well as iron chelating activity. In general, methanol extracts contained higher amounts of phenolic compounds than chloroform extracts, while chemically modified extracts showed better antioxidant activity than natural ones. Moreover, the modified extracts possess higher lipophilicity, which is a considerable advantage for their usage as natural antioxidants of oil, fats and other lipophilic foodstuff.
Read article: Industrial Crops and Products, 2015, 76, 1094-1099
