Valorization on the Antioxidant Potential of Volatile Oils of <i>Lavandula angustifolia</i> Mill., <i>Mentha piperita</i> L. and <i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> L. in the Production of Kefir

Abstract

(1) Background: Natural antioxidants are health products found in many plants and may have a therapeutic effect on various diseases caused by oxidative stress. The purpose of this research is the antioxidant analysis of some kefir samples enriched with volatile oils extracted from three aromatic plants; (2) Methods: The volatile oils were extracted from lavender, fennel and mint. Four samples of kefir were made: kefir enriched with encapsulated lavender volatile oil, kefir enriched with encapsulated mint volatile oil, kefir enriched with encapsulated fennel volatile oil and a control sample without volatile oils. The analysis took place in three periods of storage: on the first day, on the 10th day and the 20th day; (3) Results: The antioxidant activity of kefir samples had decreased during the storage. The kefir sample with fennel and lavender volatile oil had the highest antioxidant activity, while the control sample had the lowest activity; (4) Conclusions: We can conclude that the volatile oils add value to the finished product.

Keywords

• kefir
• lavender
• mint
• fennel
• volatile oils
• antioxidants