CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OIL AND OLEORESINS OF NUTMEG (MYRISTICA FRAGRANS HOUTT.) FRUITS.

I.P.S KAPOOR, BANDANA SINGH, GURDIP SINGH, CAROLA S. DE HELUANI, M. P. DE LAMPASONA & CESAR A.N. CATALAN

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD PROPERTIES

TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2012 p. 1 - 14

1094-2912

Essential oil and oleoresins (ethanol, ethyl acetate and iso-propyl alcohol) of Myristica fragrans were extracted by using Clevenger and Soxhlet apparatus respectively. GC-MS analysis of essential oil showed the presence of 38 components representing about 99.6% of the total weight. Sabinene (29.4%) was found as major component along with beta pinene (10.6%), alpha pinene (10.1%), terpene-4-ol (9.6%) and several other minor components. The major component of all oleoresins contained elemicin. It has been observed that the essential oil and ethanol oleoresin showed better activity compare to other tested oleoresins and synthetic antioxidants BHA and BHT. Further the activity of essential oil and oleoresins was measured for the inhibition of primary and secondary oxidation products in mustard oil by using peroxide, thiobarbituric acid and p-anisidine values. In addition these experiments were further supported by other complementary antioxidant assays such as ferric thiocyanate method in linoleic acid system, reducing power, chelating effect and scavenging effects on 1, 1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. Hence, the essential oil and ethanol oleoresin of M. fragrance could be considered as natural food preservative.