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.