Antioxidant Properties of Triterpenoids in Fat-Containing Products

Natural antioxidants of plant origin include chemical compounds, extracts, and essential oils isolated from plant raw materials. They are able to inhibit oxidative spoilage in fat-containing foods. The present research featured the antioxidant and in vivo properties of triterpene alcohol botulin, isolated from the bark of Betula pendula Roth., in fat-containing products, e.g., mayonnaise. Experimental samples of mayonnaise were prepared using the Provencal mayonnaise technology: 6 of 0.2% betulin solution was introduced in vegetable oil during emulsification. The control sample contained no betulin. The experiment relied on standard methods to study the sensory, physicochemical, and microbiological properties of mayonnaise samples. Antioxidant activity was calculated as the inverse of the value of the peroxide number. The antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties underwent hysiological and biochemical in vivo tests on certified white male Wistar rats. The research resulted in a new formulation of mayonnaise with triterpenoid botulin, which proved to be a good plant antioxidant as it reduced the values of acid and peroxide numbers. In freshly processed samples, the acid number was 0.013 g/dm3 in the experimental sample and 0.033 g/dm3 in the control. After 60 days of storage, it increased by 1.4 and 2.3 times, respectively. The peroxide number was 8–10 times higher in the control sample during the storage period. Betulin inhibited the oxidation of triacylglycerides. The antioxidant activity of the fresh prototype was 5.00 units and 0.50 units after 60 days. In the control, it was 0.50 and 0.06 units, respectively. In the experimental sample, betulin slowed down the growth rate of microorganisms. In the control sample, the yeast content increased 1.6 times, and mold exceeded the permissible value by 20%. The antioxidant properties of experimental mayonnaise were proven in vivo on a model of acute toxic hepatitis in rats. Based on biochemical studies of animal blood plasma, the use of mayonnaise with betulin improved the antioxidant protection. Betulin had a positive effect on antioxidant enzymes that destroy organic peroxides, e.g., lipid peroxides, which violate the structure of cell membranes.