Evaluating the antioxidant activity of Satureja hortensis essential oil for food applications

Algerian researchers investigated the potential of Satureja hortensis (summer savory) essential oil to extend the shelf life of liquid egg products. They reported their findings in an article published in the Journal of Essential Oil Research.

• The researchers used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to characterize S. hortensis essential oil extracted by hydrodistillation.
• They found that it contained carvacrol (54.2 percent) and y-terpinene (21.1 percent).
• The researchers also evaluated the essential oil’s in vitro antioxidant activity using 2,2-di-phenyl-1-picrilhydrazyl (DPPH•) free radical scavenging assay and screened its biological activities by testing it on liquid whole eggs.
• They reported that S. hortensis essential oil’s ability to scavenge (DPPH•) was very high, exceeding 80 percent.
• It also had a positive effect on the long-term oxidative and microbial stability of the liquid whole eggs, increasing their shelf life to more than eight days with refrigeration.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that S. hortensis essential oil is a promising natural preservative that can extend the shelf life of liquid eff products, as well as maintain the quality of liquid whole eggs.

Journal Reference:

Djenane D, Aboudaou M, Ferhat MA, Ouelhadj A, Arino A. EFFECT OF THE AROMATISATION WITH SUMMER SAVORY (SATUREJA HORTENSIS L.) ESSENTIAL OIL ON THE OXIDATIVE AND MICROBIAL STABILITIES OF LIQUID WHOLE EGGS DURING STORAGE. Journal of Essential Oil Research. 03 May 2019;31(5):444–455. DOI: 10.1080/10412905.2019.1610516