Increasing Antioxidant Activity and Reducing Decay of Blueberries by Essential Oils

Several naturally occurring essential oils including carvacrol, anethole, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, perillaldehyde, linalool, and p-cymene were evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing decay and increasing antioxidant levels and activities in ‘Duke’ blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum). Carv...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2008-05, Vol.56 (10), p.3587-3592
Main Authors: Wang, Chien Y, Wang, Shiow Y, Chen, Chitsun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
anthocyanins
Anthocyanins - analysis
antioxidant
antioxidant activity
Antioxidants - analysis
Antioxidants - pharmacology
Aroma and flavouring agent industries
Bioactive Constituents
Biological and medical sciences
blueberries
Blueberry Plants - chemistry
decay
Essential oils
Flavonoids - analysis
Food industries
food preservation
Food Preservation - methods
food storage
free radical scavengers
Fruit - chemistry
Fruit and vegetable industries
fruit composition
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
fungi
Hydroxyl Radical - chemistry
Oils, Volatile - pharmacology
Phenol - analysis
phenolic compounds
phenolics
postharvest losses
raw fruit
reactive oxygen species
Reactive Oxygen Species - chemistry
storage quality
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Several naturally occurring essential oils including carvacrol, anethole, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, perillaldehyde, linalool, and p-cymene were evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing decay and increasing antioxidant levels and activities in ‘Duke’ blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum). Carvacrol, anethole, and perillaldehyde showed the capability to promote total anthocyanins and total phenolics and enhance antioxidant activity in fruit tissues expressed as oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) scavenging capacity. All of the essential oils tested in this study were able to inhibit fruit decay development to some degree compared to controls. The most effective compound for mold retardation was p-cymene, followed by linalool, carvacrol, anethole, and perillaldehyde. Cinnamic acid and cinnamaldehyde also suppressed mold growth, but to a lesser extent. Treatment with carvacrol, anethole, or perillaldehyde also significantly increased the levels of fructose, glucose, and citric acid. Individual flavonoids were variably affected by the essential oils. Levels of chlorogenic acid, which was the major phenolic compound in blueberry fruit, were enhanced by all of the essential oils in this study. Increased amounts of quercetin 3-galactoside and quercetin 3-arabinoside were also found in all treated fruit except samples treated with linalool or p-cymene. The major anthocyanin, malvidin 3-galactoside, was enhanced by all essential oils tested except linalool and p-cymene. The levels of other individual anthocyanins including petunidin 3-galactoside, delphinidin 3-galactoside, petunidin 3-glucoside, petunidin 3-arabinoside, delphinidin 3-arabinoside, and cyanidin 3-galactoside were higher in treated fruit compared to controls. Those essential oils that have positive effects on enhancing anthocyanins, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity of fruit, but inhibitory effects on microbial growth and decay development, deserve further evaluation.
ISSN:0021-8561
1520-5118
DOI:10.1021/jf7037696