Some Processed Herbs Have More Antioxidants Than Dry or Fresh

Research recently presented at the 2007 Experimental Biology Annual Meeting, which concluded earlier this week, found that a processed herb paste was 3 to nearly 14 times greater in antioxidant capacity compared to fresh in 7 of 10 different herbs and spices tested.

Susanne Henning, Ph.D., R.D., director of the Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, compared the antioxidant content of commercially available dry and fresh herbs and spices with an herb paste. To account for varying water content across categories, the researchers standardized for the amount of herb or spice, which equaled one gram dry, five grams fresh and 10 grams paste.

Herbs and spices can make significant contributions to the total antioxidant content of the diet, said Henning. We expected that herbs and spices would be very high in antioxidant capacity, but we could clearly see that the processing of the herb paste actually helps retain the herbs antioxidant capacity.

The antioxidant capacity was calculated in Trolox Equivalents (TE) per standardized amount used. Results of analysis showed the herb paste was significantly higher in antioxidant capacity in 7 of the 10 herbs and spices analyzed. These included the chile pepper, cilantro, dill, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and parsley. The herbs and spices tested with the highest TE scores included: garlic herb paste (719 TE), dill paste (574 TE), ginger paste (528 TE), fresh oregano (509 TE) and cilantro paste (462 TE). Compared to fresh, the herb paste was 3 times greater in antioxidant capacity for the lemongrass and nearly 14 times greater in the garlic. Only dried forms of basil, oregano and Italian blend spice scored higher than the herb paste. When comparing fresh herbs versus dried, the fresh had mean scores that were higher for chile peppers, dill, garlic and oregano, while dried were higher for basil, ginger, Italian blend, cilantro, lemon grass and parsley.

Herbs and spices are known to contain a variety of beneficial phytonutrients, including anthocyanins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, sulfur-containing compounds and monoterpenes. It is unknown how the bioactive compounds work synergistically with other foods to contribute to a health benefit, but preliminary research suggests that herbs and spices may offer protective effects against certain types of chronic diseases.

This research was supported by Gourmet Garden Herbs and Spices.