Fresh is Not Always Best for Herbs and Spices: UCLA Research Finds New Herb Paste Higher in Antioxidants

04/05/07 It is often assumed that fresh is best when it comes to the nutritional content of herbs and spices, but new research presented at the 2007 Experimental Biology Annual Meeting found that a new processed herb paste was three to nearly 14 times greater in antioxidant capacity compared to fresh in 7 of 10 different herbs and spices tested.

Susanne Henning, Ph.D., R.D., director of the Nutritional Biomarker Laboratory, at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, purchased commercially available herbs and spices at local Los Angeles supermarkets and tested the fresh, dried and Gourmet Garden herb paste for their antioxidant capacities. To account for varying water content across categories, the researchers standardized for the amount of herb or spice, which equaled one gram dry, five grams fresh and 10 grams Gourmet Garden paste. The amounts used are consistent with the equivalencies that are provided on recipes and would be used in cooking.

"Herbs and spices can make significant contributions to the total antioxidant content of the diet," said Henning. "We expected that herbs and spices would be very high in antioxidant capacity, but we could clearly see that the processing of the herb paste actually helps retain the herb's antioxidant capacity."

The antioxidant capacity was calculated in Trolox Equivalents (TE) per standardized amount used per recipe. Gourmet Garden paste was significantly higher in antioxidant capacity in 7 of the 10 herbs and spices analyzed. These included the chilli pepper, cilantro, dill, garlic, ginger, lemon grass and parsley. The herbs and spices tested with the highest TE scores included: garlic herb paste, 719TE; dill paste, 574 TE; ginger paste, 528 TE; fresh oregano, 509 TE; cilantro paste, 462 TE. Compared to fresh, the herb paste was three times greater in antioxidant capacity for the lemon grass and nearly 14 times greater in the garlic. Only dried forms of basil, oregano and Italian blend spice scored higher than the ready-to-use herb paste.

When comparing fresh herbs versus dried, the fresh had mean scores that were higher for chilli peppers, dill, garlic and oregano, while dried were higher for basil, ginger, Italian blend, cilantro, lemon grass and parsley.

Herbs and spices are known to contain a variety of beneficial phytonutrients; these include anthocyanins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, sulfur-containing compounds and monoterpenes. It is unknown how the bioactive compounds work synergistically with other foods to contribute to a health benefit, but preliminary research suggests that herbs and spices may offer protective effects against certain types of chronic diseases.