The effect of high-density polyethylene active packages containing rosemary extract powder on oxidative stability of sunflower oil

The effect of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) active packages containing rosemary extract powder (REP) on the oxidative stability of sunflower oil was studied in the present investigation. The antioxidant free sunflower oil was packed in HDPE bottles containing 3% of REP and 3% of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The treatments were stored at 25 °C and 40 °C for 120 days. The migration of BHT and carnosic acid as the main antioxidant agent of REP was determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Measuring the peroxide, p-anisidine, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values and induction period, both treatments showed a significant (p < 0.05) higher oxidative stability compared to control samples but no considerable (p < 0.05) difference was seen between two treatments despite lower migration of carnosic acid than BHT. Results indicate that use of antioxidant active packages can be an effective method for retarding oil oxidation and rosemary can be as strong as synthetic antioxidants in increasing the oxidative stability of the oil.