While use of synthetic antioxidants (such as butylated hydroxytoluene and butylated hydroxyanisole) to maintain the quality of ready-to-eat food products has become commonplace, consumer concern regarding their safety has motivated the food industry to seek natural alternatives. Phenolic antioxidants can inhibit free radical formation and/or interrupt propagation of autoxidation. Fat-soluble vitamin E (α-tocopherol) and water-soluble vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) are both effective in the appropriate matrix. Plant extracts, generally used for their flavoring characteristics, often have strong H-donating activity thus making them extremely effective antioxidants. This antioxidant activity is most often due to phenolic acids (gallic, protocatechuic, caffeic, and rosmarinic acids), phenolic diterpenes (carnosol, carnosic acid, rosmanol, and rosmadial), flavonoids (quercetin, catechin, naringenin, and kaempferol), and volatile oils (eugenol, carvacrol, thymol, and menthol). Some plant pigments (anthocyanin and anthocyanidin) can chelate metals and donate H to oxygen radicals thus slowing oxidation via 2 mechanisms. Tea and extracts of grape seeds and skins contain catechins, epicatechins, phenolic acids, proanthocyanidins, and resveratrol, all of which contribute to their antioxidative activity. The objective of this article is to provide an overview of natural antioxidants, their mechanisms of action, and potential applications.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1541-4337.2011.00156.x

Natural antioxidants: sources, compounds, mechanisms of action, and potential applications

A review of the dietary flavonoid, kaempferol on human health and cancer chemoprevention

Evaluation of antioxidant activity, total phenols and phenolic compounds in thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.), and marjoram (Origanum majorana L.) extracts

Flavones: Food Sources, Bioavailability, Metabolism, and Bioactivity

Antioxidants are added to fresh and processed meat and meat products to prevent lipid oxidation, retard development of off-flavors, and improve color stability. In the food industry, they can be divided into natural and synthetic antioxidants. Synthetic antioxidants have been confirmed for their toxicological and carcinogenic effects. Thus, the food industry now chooses natural products over synthetic ones. This review provides an overview of the current trends in the use of antioxidants from natural sources, for potential applications in meat and meat products. These natural antioxidants contain some active compounds, which exert antioxidative potential in meat and meat products by different mechanisms of action. The efficient extraction of these antioxidants from their natural sources, along with establishing their in vitro and in producto antioxidant activity, has been a great challenge for researchers engaged in this field. Therefore, this review is focused on all these aspects, along with current studies related to this area, to provide in-depth information to readers.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1541-4337.12156

Renata Czemerys

Papers

Antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds in 32 selected herbs