The Journal of Food Technology in Africa Innovative Institutional Communications ISSN: 1028-6098 Vol. 6, Num. 4, 2001, pp. 135-137

The Journal of Food Technology in Africa, Vol. 6, No. 4, Oct-Dec, 2001 pp. 135-137

The antioxidant property of Aframomum danelli spice in oils

Fasoyiro S. B¹* Adegoke G. O², Obatolu V.A¹ , Ashaye O¹ and Aroyeun S.O³

1Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Obafemi Awolowo University, Moor Plantation, P.M.B. 5029, Jbadan, Nigeria
2 Department of Food' Technology, university of Ibadan, Ibadan.
3.Cocoa Research Institute ofNigeria, Ibadan.
*corresponding author

Code Number: ft01036

Abstract

A study was carried out on the antioxidant property of Aframomum danelli extract in palm oil and soybean oil. The activity of A. danielli extract was compared with those of other antioxidants of other plant sources, rosemary extract and d-tocopherol, at different concentrations. A. danielli was as active as rosemary plant extract in reducing rate of peroxide tbrmation in soybean oil at concentrations of 2OOppm and 3OOppm . A danielli was much more effective than tocopherol in reducing peroxidation in soybean oil and palm oil at the higher concentrations except at 50 ppm.

Keywords: Antioxidant activity, Afraitiomum danielli spice, oils. Introduction

Preservatives used in the food industries are coming under increasing scutiny and re-appraisal. Synthetic antioxidants are effective oil stabilisers but concern about their possible adverse effects on consumption is increasing. Some have been reported to have carcinogenic and mutagenic activity ( Ito et al 1985 VanEsh, 1986 ).

The potent sources of natural antioxidants are spices and herbs. Spices have been known to impact flavour but it is now recognised that they fulfill more than this one function in food systems. Shelef (1980 ) reported that certain spices prolong the shelf life of foods by their bacteriostatic activity. Spices such as red chili, cinammon leaf, clove , rosemary, sage, have been reported to have antioxidant properties (Chipault and Lumberg, 1962).

According to Pokorny (1991) when natural antioxidant are compared with synthetic ones. Natural antioxidants have the following advantages; they are readily acceptable by consumers as they are considered to be more safe, no safety tests are required by legislation for they belong to a component of food that is generally regarded as safe.

Aframomum danielli is a spice belonging to the genus 4framomum and the family Zingiberaceae. This spice has been found to have preservative property in some food systems (Adegoke and Skura, 1994). This paper describes the effect of A. danielli as an antioxidant on some oil systems. Its activity in oil was compared with other natural antioxidants.

Materials and Methodology

The spice A. danielli was obtained from Dodija market, Ibadan. Fresh palm oil was from Okiti-pupa oil mill, and the soybean oil was from Jof Ideal Ltd. Rosemary antioxidant and d-tocopherol was from Waco Pure Chemicals Osaka, Japan.

Spice treatment

The seeds were removed from the pod of A. danielli fruit and it was cleaned of all extraneous materials and adhering particles. The seeds were air-dried at 25°C for 2 days due to its low moisture of 10.9% (determined by AOAC 1990). The seeds were pulverized into a fine powdery form after drying in a hammer mill (Philips model) and it was stored at 4°C until it was used.

Solvent extraction of spice

This was determined by the method described by Chang et al (I 977) One hundred grains of finely ground A. danielli spice was extracted with 240m1 of diethyl ether under refluxing condition for 24hr. The mixture was filtered and the residue was extracted again with fresh extract. The filtrate was freed of. solvent
to recover the extract by evaporation of the solvent. The filtrate, which the spice extracts, was packaged at 4°C until it was used.

Antioxidant incorporation

The spice was incorporated into soybean oil (initial .PV, 0.S6meq/ kg) and palm oil (initial PV, 0.51 meq/ kg) by direct addition into the oils using the method of Smith (1991). The different concentrations of adding the extract into the oils were 50, 100, 200 and 300 ppm respectively.

Storage test for treated oils

Shaal oven storage test as described by Smith (1991) was used. 100g of oil with A. da,,elli extract added (based on the concentrations indicated above) were put in uncovered 250m1 pyrex glass beakers. The oils were stored in an oven (THELCO model 28) at 63⁰C. The same procedure was repeated for rosemary extract and d-tocopherol. Control samples without the extracts were also placed under the same storage condition. Oxidative stability of the oils was measured by monitoring Peroxide value (PV) for 28 days. PV was determined by the method of Egans, et. al. (1991).

Statistical analysis

Result of antioxidant activity of the extract in oils were tested for significant difference by ANOVA (Analysis of variance) and separation of means was by SAS, 1995.

Result and discussion

The effect of A. danielli in comparison with rosemary extract and d -tocopherol in oils are shown in Tables 1 and 2. The decrease in the rate of formation of peroxides in the oils was used as the measure of antioxidant activity. Generally, rate of peroxidation in the oils decreased with increase in concentration of extracts. Chang et al (1977) also observed a decrease in peroxide value for lard preserved with rosemary extract. Peroxide value of the control samples for the oils increased steadily in the early heating periods and later gradually.

At 50 ppm concentration of extracts in soybean oil, rosemary extract showed the highest activity in reducing the rate of peroxide formation followed by A. daizielli. but the activity of A.danielli was not significantly different from that of d-tocopherol by the ₂₈th day of storage at p<0.05. In soybean oil at ~00ppm, A.danielli was not significantly different from rosemary extract at 2OOppm. Both A. danielli and rosemary were not significantly different in their activity. Also at 3OOppm, rosemary was initially most active but its activity was not significantly different from A. danielli by the 28th day of storage at p<0.05 (Tables 1). d-tocopherol showed the least activity but it is Significantly different from the control samples at the different concentrations of use. In palm oil, at 50, 200 and 3OOppm, rosemary extract was still the most effective but at 100 ppm, activity of A.danielli was similar with that of rosemary at about ₂₈th day of storage (Table 2). Generally, tocopherol had the least activity when compared with A. danielli and rosemary extracts especially in palm oil. Smith (1991) observed that addition of tocopherol to vegetable oils that are already rich in tocopherol does not have any significant effect in the stability of such oils. He also reported that tocopherols are readily oxidized into tocoquinones. Reduced activity of tocopherol in palm oil could be due to these reasons. Yosida et al (1993) attributed the activity of tocopherols to the ability to break chain reactions by reacting with free fatty radicals.

Soybean oil had higher rate of peroxide formation than palm oil. This could be due to more of unsaturated fatty acids present in the soybean oil which are readily susceptible to oxidation unlike palm oil with more of saturated fatty acids. Aurand et al (1987) reported that unsaturated fatty acids are more reactive than saturated fatty acids.

Conclusion

Based on these observations antioxidant activities of A. danielli extract compares favourably with rosemary. If it could be effective in its crude form. it is suggested for use in the food industries in its purified form.

References

• Adegoke G. 0 and Skura B.G (1994). Nutritional profile and antimicrobial spectrum of the spice A. danielli. shum. Plant Foods Human Nutrit. 45: 75-182
• AOAC (1990). Official Methods of Analysis 13th ed. Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Washington DC.
• Aurand ,L.W, Wood ,AP and Well, M. R(1987). Food Composition Analysis. pp 207-209. New York: Van Relhnold pubushers
• Chang, S.S Ostric-Matijasevic B. Hsieh, O. A and Huang ,C. L (1977). Natural antioxidants from rosemary an(l sage. J Food Sd. 42:1102-1106
• Chipault J.R and Lumberg ,W. O (1962). Autoxidation and Antioxidants. pp.477-492. New York : Interscience publisher.
• Egans, H., Kirk, R. S. and Sawyer, R. (1991). Pearsons Chemical Analysis of Foods. ₈th Edition. Churchill Longman Group Limited, London.
• Ito, N. Fukushima, S. Hagewa, A. Shibata, M. and Ogiso, T. (1983). Carcinogenicity of butylated hydroxianisole in F344 rats. J Nati. Cancer Int. 70: 343-347.
• Pokorny, J. (1991). Natural Antioxidants for Food Use. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 2: 223-227.
• SAS (1995). SAS User's Guide. Statistical Analysis System Institute. Inc. Cary.
• Shelef, L A. Naglik, 0. A and Bogen D. W. (1980). Sensitivity of some common food-borne bacteria to the spices sage, rosemary and allispices. I. Food Sci. 45:1042
• Smith, J. (1991). Food Additives Users handbook. pp 5-46. Glasgow: Blackie Academie Press.
• VanEsh, G. J (1986). Toxicology of tert4-buty-hydroquinone (TBHQ). Food Chem. Toxicol. 24:1063-1065.
• Yosida, H. Kajimoto ,G: and Emua, S. (1993). Antioxidant effects of d-tocopherols at different concentrations in oils microwave heating. J. Amer. oil Chem. 70:989-995.

Copyright 2001 The Journal of Food Technology in Africa, Nairobi

The following images related to this document are available:

Photo images