Herbs Phenolic Diterpenes

Since the ancient times, spices have been added to different types of food to improve their flavor and to enhance their storage stability. The intake of herbs and spices is regulated by themselves by means of the flavor intensity of the essential oil. However, antioxidant extracts with high contents of phenolic diterpenes do not necessarily contain essential oils. Particularly, plant material from essential oil production for cosmetic or pharmaceutical products is an interesting side product to be used for the preparation of antioxidative extracts. However, data published by Richheimer et al. (1996) indicated that the deoiled biomass contains markedly less camosic acid than the dried, nondeoiled plant material. 

The strong antioxidant activity of plant material from rosemary and sage leaves compared to other herbs was already recognized by Chipault et al. (1952). The antioxidant properties of rosemary and sage are extensively documented and well related to the phenolic diterpenes. 

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