Antioxidant activity of spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) leaves extracts by supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction

• Main Authors: Bimakr, Mandana, Abdul Rahman, Russly, Ganjloo, Ali, Taip, Farah Saleena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia 2011
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/40704/1/Antioxidant%20activity%20of%20spearmint%20%28Mentha%20spicata%20L.%29%20leaves%20extracts%20by%20Supercritical%20Carbon%20Dioxide%20%28SC-CO2%29%20extraction.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/40704/; http://www.ifrj.upm.edu.my/18%20%2802%29%202011/%2811%29%20IFRJ-2010-215.pdf
• Institution: Universiti Putra Malaysia

In this study, the effects of pressure (100–300 bar), temperature (40–60ºC) and co-solvent flow rate (3–9 g/min) on antioxidant activities of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO²) extracts of spearmint leaves were determined using full factorial in the frame of complete randomize design (CRD). The antioxidant activity of SC-CO² extracts was determined by DPPH radical scavenging method. The results showed that extraction pressure, temperature and co-solvent flow rate had significant effect (P < 0.05) on antioxidant activity of extracts obtained. The highest antioxidant activity (71.00 ± 2.65%) was obtained at 200 bar pressure, 50ºC and 6 g/min co-solvent flow rate. However, all of the extracts obtained in this study had significantly higher antiradical activities varying from 35.62 ± 0.34% to 72 ± 3.17% compared to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as a reference. These results indicated that supercritical carbon dioxide is a promising alternative process for recovering compounds of high antioxidant activities from spearmint leaves.