This study aims to quantify and identify phenolic compounds in the hydroethanolic extract of Mentha piperita L. harvested in the Algerian Sahara by colorimetric and LC-MS/MS analysis, assess its antioxidant capacity by DPPH and ABTS assays and examine the impact of its inclusion at 2 to 6% rates on sensory and oxidative properties (DPPH, ABTS, TEBARS) and the lipid profile analyzed by GC-FID in steamed yoghurt.
The extract contained 41.29 mg GAE/ml total phenolics, 22.45 mg QE/ml total flavonoids and only 0.59 mg CE/ml condensed tannins. LCMS/MS analysis detected 26 phenolic compounds, among which rosmarinic acid was the most abundant. DPPH and ABTS assays showed IC50 values of 3.18 and 2.49 mg freeze-dried extract/ml, indicating the high antioxidant potential of the examined extract. Yogurts containing 2% and 4% of this extract were well accepted by the sensory evaluation panel.
The studied extract also significantly increased the antioxidant capacity of yogurt up to 39.51% compared to natural yogurt after 20 days of refrigeration, significantly reduced lipid peroxidation and at a dose of 4%, caused a significant improvement (p<0, 01) in the omega content of yogurt, especially alpha-linolenic acid, compared to the control and caused a marked decrease (p<0. 01) in the ω-6/ω-3 ratio in yogurt from 5.21 to 4.11 on day 20 of refrigeration compared with the control. The production of a sensorially acceptable pasteurized yogurt enriched with up to 4% hydroethanol extract of Mentha piperita L. as an alternative to synthetic antioxidant additives with health-promoting properties appears feasible.