Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Essential Oils: A Short Review

Miguel, Maria Graça

Malonaldehyde can also be measured through gas chromatography with a nitrogen phosphorous detector, after derivatization of malonaldehyde to 1-methylpyrazole with N-methylhydrazine. This method was followed by [43] that demonstrated the oils of Thymus vulgaris and Eugenia caryophyllus possessed the strongest activity, even comparable to that of α-tocopherol. However, in the same work the authors also reported that at higher concentrations of thyme oil, such capacity decreased. Basil oil, that was considered a good antioxidant when the activity was measured through the conjugated diene assay, did not stand out in this test, in which was only considered as possessing moderate activity. Such results may reveal that basil is only able to prevent the primary oxidation of lipids.