Spices and herbs: Natural sources of antioxidants – a mini review

Abstract

Spices and herbs are rich sources of powerful antioxidants. Spices and herbs have been used for flavour, colour and aroma for more than 2000 years. They have also been used for preservation of foods and beverages primarily due to their phytochemicals. The antioxidants in spices and herbs are very effective because they possess excellent antioxidant activity. The spices and herbs have been used as antioxidants as whole or ground spice/herb, extracts, encapsulated or as emulsions. Aside from their efficacy as antioxidants, spices and herbs are classified as all natural, an attractive quality for consumers. Thus, spices and herbs may be used as a means to control lipid oxidation in foods. Furthermore, the future of spices and herbs as effective antioxidants is discussed and expected trends are summarized.

Keywords

• Spices and herbs
• Natural antioxidants
• Synthetic antioxidants
• Lipid oxidation
• Antioxidant activity