Contribution of minor compounds present in the peppermint (Mentha piperita) to the iron-catalyzed lipid oxidation of soybean oil-in-water emulsion

This study evaluated contribution of minor compounds naturally present in peppermint (Mentha piperita) to the iron-catalyzed lipid oxidation of oil-in-water emulsion. Emulsions consisted of tocopherol-stripped soybean oil and pH 4.0 citrate buffer (4:6, w/w) with iron. Minor compounds included alpha-tocopherol, rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, beta-carotene, and chlorophyll b at natural concentration in 400ppm of the peppermint extract. The emulsions were oxidized in the dark, and headspace oxygen contents, hydroperoxide contents, and p-anisidine values were determined. Addition of phenolic compounds decreased headspace oxygen consumption and hydroperoxide and p-anisidine values of emulsions, however, beta-carotene or chlorophyll b tended to increase them. The results suggest that tocopherols at low concentration were the most important to reduce lipid oxidation of emulsions via radical scavenging, followed by high contents of polyphenols via radical scavenging and iron-chelation. Carotenoids and chlorophylls should be precisely controlled even in the dark, possibly due to their oxidation products.