Assessment of the potential for use post-production residues of cruciferous vegetables within Zero Waste idea

The aim of the study was to compare the overall total phenolic compounds content and antioxidant properties of spices (oregano, thyme and rosemary) from ecological and conventional cultivation. The antioxidant activity of the obtained spice extracts was estimated with the use of radical tests (DPPH and ABTS), binding and reduction of metal ions, accelerated Rancimat test and based on the spectrophotometric method. The obtained results indicate that spice extracts from ecological cultivation are characterized by a higher, overall total phenolic compound content compared to spice extracts grown in a conventional system. Ecological spice extracts showed better antioxidant properties than conventional spices in most tests. The results of the statistical analysis show a positive correlation between the total content of polyphenols and the antiradical activity of the extracts. The negative correlation was found between the content of polyphenols and the Rancimat test and the chelating activity. It seems that the usage of organic spice extracts in food production could be considered as natural antioxidants, reducing fat oxidation processes to a greater extent than with conventional cultivations.