Extraction, chemical characterization, and antioxidant activity of bioactive plant extracts

Natural extracts have been proposed as preservatives to increase the safety of various food products. In this work, the phytochemical and antioxidant profiles of French lavender (Lavandula stoechas), lemon balm, basil, tarragon, salvia, and spearmint extracts were studied. The results show that hydroethanolic extracts may be more effective as biopreservatives if moderate temperatures are used in the extraction process, as they revealed higher phenolic content. More specifically, the results also show that lemon balm extracts present a great potential to be used as biopreservatives, due to their high-level phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity.