Fractionation of the Natural Antioxidant Constituents in Rosemary and Sage

Abstract

Rosemary and sage are known to contain antioxidants that are suspected of being phenolics. These spices and their oleoresins were extracted by various procedures in an attempt to get a strong antioxidant fraction. The best procedures were found to be: 1. extraction with 90:10 (v/v) n-hexane:ethanol with gentle refluxing followed by addition of an equal amount of water. A solid formed and was purified, and the hexane solution was separated and desolventized. 2. The same procedure as above using rosemary spice followed by an extraction of the hexane soluble portion with 50% methanol at a pH of 11. The aqueous layer was separated, neutralized with 42% phosphoric acid, and the organic constituents were extracted with methylene chloride and desolventized (II - .27%). Other procedures produced antioxidant fractions but none as effective as those prepared by these methods.