Antioxidant and pro-oxidant activity of green tea extracts in marine oils

The activity of green tea extracts (GTE) on the oxidation of refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) seal blubber oil (SBO) and menhaden oil (MHO) was examined under Schaal oven conditions at 65 degrees C. Progression of oxidation was monitored using weight gain, peroxide value (PV) and 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) data. GTE exhibited a pro-oxidant effect in both oils examined, perhaps due to the catalytic effect of their chlorophyll constituents. Therefore, in follow-up experiments, a column chromatographic technique was employed to remove chlorophyll f'rom GTE. The resultant dechlorophyllized green tea extract (DGTE) was applied to both SBO and MHO at 100, 200, 500 and 1000 ppm levels. The antioxidant activity of DGTE was compared with the effects of the commonly-used antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) at 200 ppm and alpha-tocopherol at 500 ppm. DGTE at greater than or equal to 200 ppm exhibited excellent antioxidant activity in both oils and its efficacy was higher than that of BHA, BHT and alpha-tocopherol, but less than that of TBHQ. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.