Antioxidant effect induced by the essential oil of Pituranthos scoparius in a formulation of a whey spread emulsion
Abstract
This study falls within the framework of industrial exploitation of the essential oil recovered from Pituranthos scoparius. Chromatographic techniques, namely TLC, HPTLC, MHE-GC-FID-MS, GC X GC, and GC-FID-MS have been used for the characterization, identification and quantification of 48 compounds, divided into three major terpene groups: monoterpenes, diterpenes, and oxygenated compounds. The essential oil displayed an antioxidant activity, presented by a radical scavenging activity and evaluated by the TLC–DPPH• method. Tests conducted at laboratory scale showed high protection from lipid oxidation of the spread emulsion, with an oxidative stability of 20.82 h. A sensory evaluation was carried out on emulsions incorporated with the essential oil. The PCA analysis revealed the effect of some attributes on the segregation between the four emulsions formulated. These data suggest that the essential oil of Pituranthos scoparius is a possible and promising candidate as a biopreservative at an industrial scale for food preservation.
