Artemisia absinthium L. flower extract as an antioxidant in sesame oil

In this study, we investigated the effect of adding Artemisia absinthium L. flower extract on the properties of sesame oil. At first, A. absinthium essential oil was extracted and analyzed for free radical scavenging power (DPPH), total phenols, flavonoids, and the main constituent compounds by gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. Then, 5 sesame oil samples were prepared, namely a control sample (without A. absinthium e xtract), s amples w ith 0.5, 1, a nd 1.5% ethanolic extract of A. absinthium), as well as a sample containing tert-butyl hydro quinone. The samples were kept in an incubator at 40°C for 35 days. They were analyzed on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 for the values of peroxide, acid degree, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, p-anisidine, total oxidation, conjugated dienoic acid, and oxidative stability (Rancimat method). As the storage period progressed, physical and oxidative changes increased in all the samples. On day 35, the control sample demonstrated high peroxide value, acid degree value, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, p-anisidine value, total oxidation index, as well as conjugated dienoic acid. These results were significantly (p < 0 .05) h igher t han t hose i n t he s ample with 1.5% A. absinthium extract. The extract had nearly the same protective effects as synthetic antioxidant tert-butyl hydro quinone. Thus, A. absinthium extract at the concentration of 1.5% was more effective than the other samples in reducing the rate of lipid oxidation in sesame oil. A. absinthium extract demonstrated good potential as an effective natural antioxidant that is able to extend the shelf life of sesame oil.