| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1187166 | Food Chemistry | 2013 | 8 Pages |
•Effect of pesticide residues on medicinal herbs following ionising radiation.•Irradiation decreased polyphenolic content and antioxidant potential of Salvia leaves.•Parathion radiolysis products compensate the decline of the antioxidant capacity.•γ-Radiation breaks down parathion without inducing significant losses in polyphenols.
The γ-irradiation effects on polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity of parathion-pretreated leaves of Salvia officinalis plant were investigated. The analysis of phenolic extracts of sage without parathion showed that irradiation decreased polyphenolic content significantly (p < 0.05) by 30% and 45% at 2 and 4 kGy, respectively, compared to non-irradiated samples. The same trend was observed for the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), as assessed by the anionic DPPH and cationic ABTS radical-scavenging assays. The antioxidant potential decreased significantly (p < 0.01) at 2 and 4 kGy, by 11–20% and 40–44%, respectively. The results obtained with a pure chlorogenic acid solution confirmed the degradation of phenols; however, its TEAC was significantly (p < 0.01) increased following irradiation. Degradation products of parathion formed by irradiation seem to protect against a decline of antioxidant capacity and reduce polyphenolic loss. Ionising radiation was found to be useful in breaking down pesticide residues without inducing significant losses in polyphenols.
