Radiation-induced enhancement of antioxidant activity in extracts of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.)

Dry rosemary leaf powder was subjected to 30 kGy of gamma ray irradiation, followed by solvent extraction with methanol, ethanol or water. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was assessed using the DPPH radical-scavenging method and the reducing power test. EC50 values, using the radical-scavenging method, indicate a 22% increase in the antioxidant activity of ethanol and water extracts as a result of irradiation treatment. EC50 values in the reducing power test show an increase of 45% and 28% for the ethanol and water extracts, respectively. The antioxidant activity of methanol extracts of irradiated rosemary remained the same as in the controls in both types of test. A high correlation was found between the EC50 values obtained in the DPPH radical test and those from the reducing power test. Total phenolic content (Folin–Denis test) increased by 35% in the water extracts as a result of irradiation but remained the same in the methanol and ethanol extracts. The methanol extract showed the highest antioxidant activity and the highest amount of total phenolic compounds. Radiation reduced the good correlation between antioxidant activity and total phenolic content.