Antioxidant activity of essential oil of oregano species from Argentina in relation to their chemical composition

PATRICIA R QUIROGA; CECILIA G RIVEROS; JULIO A ZYGADLO; NELSON R GROSSO; VALERIA NEPOTE

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2011 vol. 46 p. 2648 - 2655

0950-5423

The purpose of this work was to determine chemical composition and antioxidant activity of essential oil of different oregano species from Argentina: ?Cordobes?, ?Criollo?, ?Mendocino?, and ?Compacto?. The essential oil composition was determined by GC-MS. The antioxidant activity of the essential oils was analyzed by an accelerated oxidation test in canola oil. Thirty nine compounds were identified in the oregano essential oils. The oregano species showed differences in their chemical composition and antioxidant activity. Thymol and trans-sabinene hydrate were the main compounds in most of the oregano specie followed by γ-terpinene, terpinen-4-ol, and α-terpinene. ?Criollo? was the only species rich in γ-terpinene with lower thymol and trans-sabinene hydrate and higher α-terpinene and carvacrol contents in comparison with the other species. ?Mendocino? had higher trans-sabinene hydrate and limonene than the other oregano species. ?Cordobes? and ?Compacto? had higher thymol content and showed higher antioxidant activity in canola oil.