Investigations on thermal degradation of phytochemicals from lavender extract
Abstract
The importance of lavender as a source of essential oils has been well recognized. This study reports the phytochemical profile of lavender extract in terms of chlorophylls, total carotenoids, polyphenols and flavonoids, related to antioxidant activity. The extract displayed a high polyphenolic and flavonoids content, with an antioxidant activity of 2.28±0.18 mMol Trolox/g D.W. The fractional conversion and first order kinetic models were found suitable for predicting the changes that occur in the selected phytochemicals. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were calculated confirming the irreversible degradation of phytochemicals. Both the temperature and duration of heating significantly impacted the content in bioactive compounds.