The authors would like to thank FCT/MEC and FEDER for financial
support to CIMO under Program PT2020 (UID/AGR/
00690/2013); POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 (LA LSRE-LCM), funded
by FEDER, through POCI-COMPETE2020 and FCT; Project NORTE-
01-0145-FEDER-000006. L. Barros and R.C. Calhelha acknowledge
the FCT for their post-doctoral grants (SFRH/BPD/107855/
2015 and SFRH/BPD/68344/2010, respectively).The authors also
thank Cantinho das Aromáticas Lda. for providing tarragon
samples.
This work explored the potential of a tarragon hydroethanolic extract to be used as a functional
preserver ingredient in pizza dough. Ferulic acid hexoside and quercetin-3-Orutinoside
were the most abundant polyphenols found in the extract, which also showed
high antioxidant capacity, cytotoxicity for human tumour cell lines, especially HeLa (cervical
carcinoma), and antimicrobial activity particularly for antibiotic resistant bacteria and
Penicillium species. The extract was incorporated in pizza dough (fresh and baked) and its
performance was compared with ascorbic acid (E300) for two storage times (initial and after
5 days in the fridge). Control samples (samples with no additives) were also used as reference.
Briefly, tarragon extract demonstrated the ability to preserve polyunsaturated fatty
acids and reduce water loss, and maintained the antioxidant capacity during baking avoiding
browning. Effectively, the incorporation of tarragon extract in pizza dough could be a
viable process to achieve functional purposes.
