Antioxidant properties of Artemisia herba-alba Asso.,Mentha pulegium L. and Origanum compactum Benth. essential oils

There is an increasing demand for natural products to replace synthetic antioxidant preservatives. the present work investigates the antioxidant activities of three commercial essential oils (artemisia herba-alba,mentha pulegium and origanum compactum) from morocco by three different methods,namely dpph free radical scavenging,β-carotene/linoleic acid and tbars assays. in all methods investigated,o. compactum essential oil exhibited higher antioxidant activity than that of other tested essential oils. this activity could be attributed to the phenolic compounds present at high concentrations in this oil. in conclusion,o. compactum essential oil may be worth further investigation and could be a good natural alternative to chemical additives.