Antioxidant Evaluation of Spice-added Doughnuts by the H-ORAC Method

Abstract

We investigated the properties and antioxidant activity of doughnuts in which the following five spice powders were included: rosemary, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. Each spice was added individually to the doughnuts and the properties of the doughnuts were examined. Doughnuts supplemented with spices tended to show lower specific volumes and swelling rates than those without spice addition. We measured their antioxidant activity, using the hydrophilic-oxygen radical absorbance capacity (H-ORAC) method. The antioxidant activity in the doughnuts supplemented with spices increased with the amount of spices added. The highest H-ORAC value was obtained when rosemary was added to the doughnuts. Also, among the spices, rosemary showed the highest H-ORAC value. Cinnamon powder showed strong antioxidant effects, however, its antioxidant activity was reduced when it was added to the doughnuts. This suggested that cinnamon does not respond well to heat treatment, in terms of antioxidant activity.