Chemical composition and antioxidant properties of dill essential oil

Abstract

The undesired effects generated by the usage of synthetic antioxidants in foodstuffs increase the interest of food producers and customers in the finding of new food additives of natural origin. The chemical composition and antioxidant potentials of Anethum graveolens L. essential oil of were investigated in this study. The isolation of essential oil was conducted by steam distillation with a yield of 1.83% (v/m). The material used for extraction was dill seeds (natural dried product). Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry investigation identified 24 components, which represent 99.85% of the total amount. The major components were carvone (66.2%) and limonene (26.79%). The antioxidant activity of the essential oil of Anethum graveolens L. was evaluated in vitro by the DPPH assay (IC50 = 2.629 ± 0.119 mg/mL), BHT was used as a positive control. The total phenolic content of the dill essential oil was evaluated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method (GAE = 0.138±0.001 mg/g sample). These results provide new data for future studies to identify new antioxidants sources as a reliable option to decrease the usage of synthetic additives.