ENHANCING THE ANTIOXIDANT EFFECT OF ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL WITH ROSEMARY IN INHIBITING CATALYZED OXIDATION CAUSED BY FE-2+ AND HEMOPROTEIN

A mixture of alpha-tocopherol and rosemary extract (0.035% + 0.035%) was used to inhibit fish lipid oxidation catalyzed by Fe2+ or hemoprotein. In a sardine oil model system, a mixture of alpha-tocopherol and rosemary extract showed a significantly stronger antioxidant effect, as it prolonged the induction period for 10 and 16 days longer than alpha-tocopherol alone and rosemary extract alone, respectively. In addition, the effective lifetime of alpha-tocopherol in samples treated with the alpha-tocopherol and rosemary extract mixture was 10 days longer than in samples with only alpha-tocopherol added even though the amount of added alpha-tocopherol in the latter case was twice that for the mixture. In fish dark muscle, the mixture of alpha-tocopherol and rosemary extract also showed a stronger anti-oxidant effect than either tocopherol or rosemary extract alone. Treatment of samples with this mixture also led to a lower rate of decomposition of highly unsaturated fatty acids, myoglobin and hemoglobin, and triglyceride compared to samples treated with tocopherol or rosemary extract alone.