Antioxidative properties of mint (Mentha spicata L.) and its application in biscuits

Abstract

In this study, Mint (Mentha Spicata L.) was used as a source of natural antioxidant in the preparation of biscuits with optimized levels of different forms of mint (powder, extract and pure menthol). The biscuits were stored for five months packed in unit pouches of metalized polyester/poly laminated pouch at room temperature and tested periodically for sensory parameters. The stability of biscuit lipids were studied by determining free fatty acid, peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid value and total antioxidant capacity. In sensory evaluation, pure menthol (MNT-M) scored higher (p< 0.05) panel score than mint powder (MNT-P) and mint extract (MNT-E) biscuits. The antioxidative activity of mint biscuits was compared with that of biscuit incorporated with Butylated hydroxyl anisole (BHA) initially as well as at the end of five months. The results indicated that mint powder had shown good antioxidant property as natural antioxidant along with other chemical parameters in biscuits, which were quite comparable with BHA biscuits.