Activity of Natural Antioxidants Extracted from Greater Calamint, Sweet Cicely and Coltsfoot Cultivated in Lithuania and in France

The residues obtained after hydrodistillation of three aromatic plants (Calamintha grandiflora, Myrrhis odorata and Tussilago farfara) were separated into solid and liquid fractions. The liquid fraction was dried while the solid fraction was extracted with acetone, methanol or ethanol. Two main types of antioxidant activity tests were employed: i) assays to evaluate oxidation of fats, oils and other fat containing foods (Oxipress); ii) assays to evaluate radical scavenging activity in model systems (DPPH, FRAP). The antioxidant activities were expressed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE) with the aim of standardizing these methods and that allow data comparisons. The three antioxidant assay methods give different antioxidant activity trends. An initial screening of ethanol extracts from the three aromatic plants for antioxidant activity in oil reported them as the best. Despite hydrodistillation residues presented strong antioxidant activities, the total phenolics content in acetone, methanol, ethanol leaves extracts for Tussilago farfara was about twice lower than others plants extracts.