Clove ranked number one antioxidant spice

Clove also has a sweet, spicy fragrance that is stimulating and revitalizing.

The researchers are hopeful that the findings can have significant implications for the food industry as well as offer health benefits.

Cloves best natural antioxidant
Lead author of the study, Professor Juana Fernández-López, from the Miguel Hernández University (UMH), Spain, identified cloves (Syzygium aromaticum), sun dried unopened flower buds from the plant, as the best antioxidant spice, due to the fact they contain high levels of phenolic compounds, apart from having other properties.

Professor López, a researcher at the UMH, said, "Out of the five antioxidant properties tested, cloves had the highest capacity to give off hydrogen, reduced lipid peroxidation well, and was the best iron reducer."

"The results show that use of the natural oxidants occurring in spices used in the Mediterranean diet, or their extracts, is a viable option for the food industry, as long as the organoleptic characteristics of the food product are not affected", added researchers.

The team said that these spices exhibit high antioxidant capacity, and could have health benefits, also called clove as the versatile herb.

Antioxidant effect of the essential oils from other spices evaluated

The researchers also looked at the antioxidant effect of the essential oils from other spices used in the Mediterranean diet, such as oregano (Origanum vulgare), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), rosemary, (Rosmarinus funcionarios cinalis) and sage (Salvia funcionarios cinalis).

The objective of the study was to see if above spices could be used into food products, especially meat, as natural antioxidants. According to the lead researcher, antioxidants keep the food fresh because the compounds delay lipid oxidation.

The results help in the direction of using more natural foods such as 'cloves', which are capable of replacing synthetic antioxidants that are presently used by producers to make food last longer.

The study was published in the latest issue of the Flavour and Fragrance Journal.