Synthetic and natural antioxidant additives in food stabilization: current applications and future research - Oxidation in Foods and Beverages and Antioxidant Applications - page 286

12.5.1 Natural phenolics
According to Boskou, plant phenols are probably the most intriguing plant
pytochemicals (Boskou, 2006). Researchers have been studying their natural
abundance, chemical structures, potential role in preventing diseases caused by
oxidative stress, biological ability to interact with enzymes and proteins and
their ability to stabilize foods.
Natural phenolic antioxidants occur in various chemical forms, such as phenolic
acids (rosmarinic and carnosic acid), hydroxybenzoic acids (vanillic acid),
hydroxycinnamic acids (ferulic and chlorogenic acid), flavonoids (quercetin,
catechin and rutin), anthocyanins (delphinidin), tannins (procyanidin, ellagic acid
and tannic acid), lignans (sesaminol), stilbenes (resveratol), coumarins (o-
coumarine) and essential oils (carvacrol, eugenol) (Pokorn , 2007). Many, such
as the pyrogallol or pyrocathecol groups contain more then one phenolic OH group.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Among the different spice extract antioxidants in commerce today, rosemary
(Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extract is the dominant natural antioxidant in the
market, both in Europe and in the United States. It possesses high efficacy in
many food systems, due to the high potency of several of its predominantly lipid
Fig. 12.8 Active phenolics in rosemary.