ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF WESTERN PARSLEY (PETROSELINUM CRISPUM) EXTRACT AND ITS EFFECTS ON OXIDATIVE STABILITIES OF FOOD DURING STORAGE

Western parsley (WP), a culinary herb, has been reported to display significant antioxidative properties and to contribute to the elimination of heavy metals, but little information is available regarding its effect over food storage stability. In this study, the effect of this plant on the oxidative stabilities of food was investigated as compared with the synthetic antioxidant ethoxyquin (EQ) under accelerated oxidative stress. Headspace oxygen consumption, formation of primary and secondary oxidation products, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity, were used as the parameters. Oxidative stabilities of food increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) with addition of WP, revealing potent antioxidant activities of WP for stabilization of food over a long storage period. Our results suggested that the synergistic action of the phytochemicals may be contributing to the improved oxidative stabilities. According to these results, WP, a commonly consumed herb, can be used as an alternative to synthetic antioxidants in the long-term storage of food. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Our results suggest that Western parsley (WP), a commonly used plant, can be used effectively as a natural antioxidant, which is increasingly important as an additive in the food industry, especially in fat-based foods. In addition to their antioxidative role, presently, there are convincing evidences that nature antioxidants exert a protective effect in many pathological conditions, such as inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular diseases and cancers. During this research, we got results (not shown) that suggest that WP might exhibit similar effects. With that, further applications and uses of WP will be explored. On the light of these evidences, the uses of WP might be considered hereon in more food system, as an attractive alternative to present.