Comparative evaluation of three essential oils as functional antioxidants and natural flavoring agents in ice cream

Abstract

Three essential oils, namely, thyme (Thymus vulgaris), basil (Ocimum basilicum) and marjoram (Majorana hortensis) were characterized by means of GC-MS and their antioxidant activity by different assays. Basil essential oil was higher in1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging activity than other two oils. Reducing power determined by ferricyanide method was found to be concentration-dependent for the tested essential oils; the basil essential oil was also found to have significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the highest reducing power. While, marjoram essential oil was found to have a higher antioxidant capacity than basil and thyme essential oils determined by phosphomolybdenum method. When applying H2O2 scavenging assay, the basil essential oil showed a significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in H2O2 scavenging activity compared to other tested essential oils. Non-significant differences were observed in physiochemical properties of ice cream treatments in comparison with the control one. In addition ice cream treatments received high scores for all the quality attributes in terms of sensory characteristics. It was concluded that basil, marjoram and thyme essential oils have an antioxidant effect and can be used as natural flavoring agents. © IDOSI Publications, 2013.