Clove and nutmeg spices as sources of antioxidants

Spices are products intended for flavoring, seasoning, or imparting flavor, smell, and color to food. They also find application in the perfumery industry, aromatherapy, and the production of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, with recognized health effects. The objects of this study were two spices, clove (Syzygium aromaticum L) and nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt). The edible and commercial parts, i.e. flower buds and seeds, were obtained from the local market. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of different solvents (warm water-50°C and 80% acetone) and two extraction techniques (CSE-classical solvent and UAE-ultrasound-assisted extraction) on the content of bioactive compounds (total carotenoid content-TCC, total phenolic content-TPC, total flavonoid content-TFC, and total dihydroxycinnamic acid derivatives content-HCAs) and antioxidant activities (cupric reducing antioxidant capacity assay-CUPRAC, ferric reducing power assay-FRP, in vitro phospho-molybdenum total antioxidant assay-TAC and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay-DPPH•) using spectrophotometric methods. This was done to evaluate the actual and maximum health potential of the selected spices. In clove, the content of bioactive compounds (TCC, TPC, TFC and HCAs) ranged from 155.18-193.64 µg g-1 , 17.48-29.95 mg g-1 GAE, 0.64-1.61 mg g-1 CE and 2.52-12.54 mg g-1 CGAE, respectively, while for nutmeg, the ranges were as follows: 49.94-53.01 µg g-1 , 2.97-28.93 mg g-1 GAE, 0.53-1.59 mg g-1 CE and 1.32-6.13 mg g-1 CGAE, respectively. The results obtained in antioxidant assays indicated the highest values for the DPPH • , followed by the TAC assay, for both spices. In general, the acetone extracts of both spices, regardless of the extraction technique used, had higher values for the examined parameters compared to the aqueous extracts. By comparing the spices, a higher content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity was found in clove than in nutmeg, in all tests except for CUPRAC. These findings suggest that both tested spices, especially clove, can be considered rich sources of antioxidants.