In recent years, it has been acknowledged that many spices not only have properties that make food more pleasant and tastier but they also have important preservative and antioxidant properties. The antioxidant properties of many spices are well known, while their prooxidant properties less so. The aim of this study was to perform a comparative evaluation of three selected spice (garlic, black pepper and red pepper), commercially available in Cluj-Napoca's market, regarding their content in total phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity. The antioxidant aspects were evaluated by determination of the total phenolic content by the Folin-Ciocalteau method and by the antioxidant activity using the 1,1-diphenyl-2picrylhydrazyl reagent (DPPH).The total phenolic content was between 3,38 and 0,925 mg GAE/1g, while the antioxidant capacity ranged between 18,41% and 10,9% from dry spice. Results showed that garlic extract has the most effective antioxidant capacity in scavenging DPPH radicals, while black pepper and red pepper were less active. In the present study piperine was evaluated for its antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhumurium. Spices showed antimicrobial activity against all tested bacteria with zone of inhibition ranged from 8-15,5 mm.

Salvia is one of the largest genera in the family of Labiatae, comprising about 900 species distributed widely throughout the world. Many species of Salvia are commonly used as herbal tea and for food flavoring, as well as in cosmetics, perfumery and in the pharmaceutical industry. The present study compares the antioxidant properties of four methanolic extracts, obtained by two extraction methods, from Salvia elegans, Salvia officinalis Purpurascens, Salvia officinalis Tricolor and Salvia lavandulifolia. The amount of total phenolics was quantified using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, while the antioxidant activity of selected herbs was determined with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) reagent. The total amount of phenolics was between 1122.50 and 3672.16 mg GAE/100g dry plant for the first methanolic extract, while for the second extract was between 767.66 and 2725.04mg GAE/100g dry plant.A positive linear correlation was observed between total phenolics content and antioxidant activity of the extracts. The results suggested that the extracts of Salvia species, notably Salvia officinalis Tricolor with the highest antioxidant activity, can be used as natural antioxidants in the food industry.

The composition of hop oil contributes to the aroma of beer and the essential oil profile of hop samples contains valuable information for brewers. The aim of this study was to characterize the Hüller Bitterer hop variety, during the development of hop cones, by analysis the composition of volatile oil using in-tube extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (ITEX-GC-MS). The obtained results show that the ITEX-GC/MS method is suitable for the determination of volatile compounds from hop samples. A number of 60 compounds were separated and 50 of them were identified. The most important volatile compounds found in Hüller Bitterer hop variety belonging to the monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes classes are represented by: β-myrcene, β-caryophyllene and α-humulene.

This study investigates the influence of vintage on the aroma compounds of white wine Episcopal from vineyard Ciumbrud, located in central Transylvania, by a non-destructive head space in tube extraction technique in tandem with GC-MS. The samples selected for analysis come from three consecutive years (2009, 2010 and 2011) from Episcopal assortment, a high quality wine obtained by blending three types of wine varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer and Pinot Gris. The results reflect the compositional similarities but also the influence of vintage on the composition of wine aroma compounds. Results showed significant similarities between the composition of major compounds, 2-methyl-1-butanol, butanoic acid ethyl ester, hexanoic acid ethyl ester, octanoic acid ethyl ester, which together account for over 50% of the compounds identified. Significant differences appear both on the number of identified compounds in wine harvest 2010 compared to the other two years as well as through differences in concentration of two compounds: 3-methyl-butanol and 2,4-hexadienoic acid ethyl ester.

Tea is the most important non-alcoholic beverage in the world being appreciated for its stimulant properties and health benefits. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the content in caffeine, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, as well as the antioxidant activity of five different herbal infusions samples in order to compare the amount of these bioactive compounds from traditional Romanian medicinal plants and Chinese tea plants. Green tea, black tea, linden (lime tree), mint and St. John's wort were chosen as materials for the preparation of infusions and laboratory analyses. The caffeine was extracted with dichloromethane and then was quantified by measuring the absorbance of the extract at 260 nm. The quantification of total phenolic compounds was achieved by Folin-Ciocalteu method, while the flavonoids content was determined using a chromogenic system of NaNO 2 -Al(NO 3 ) 3 -NaOH based on spectrophotometric method. The antioxidant capacity of each tea sample was assessed by evaluating their radical scavenging activity on DPPH radical. The largest content in antioxidant compounds was found in green (45.90 mg GAE/100 ml), but also in the mint infusion sample (39.30 mg GAE/100 ml), while black tea has registered the highest caffeine content (38.25 mg/100 ml). Following the results obtained it can be stated that all the analysed samples contain remarkable amounts of biologically active compounds essential for the human body health.