Plants are rich in bioactive phytochemicals that often display medicinal properties. These can play an important role in the production of health-promoting food additives and the replacement of artificial ones. In this sense, this study aimed to characterise the polyphenolic profile and bioactive properties of the decoctions, infusions and hydroethanolic extracts of three plants: lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and spearmint (Mentha spicata L.). Total phenolic content ranged from 38.79 mg/g extract to 84.51 mg/g extract, depending on the extract. The main phenolic compound detected in all cases was rosmarinic acid. The results highlighted that some of these extracts may have the ability to prevent food spoilage (due to antibacterial and antifungal effects) and promote health benefits (due to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacities) while not displaying toxicity against healthy cells. Furthermore, although no anti-inflammatory capacity was observed from sage extracts, these stood out for often displaying the best outcomes in terms of other bioactivities. Overall, the results of our research provide insight into the potential of plant extracts as a source of active phytochemicals and as natural food additives. They also support the current trends in the food industry of replacing synthetic additives and developing foods with added beneficial health effects beyond basic nutrition.
The authors are grateful to the EU PRIMA program and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for funding the ArtiSaneFood project (PRIMA/0001/2018) and for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021). This study was supported by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020—Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. This work has been supported by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia (451-03-47/2023-01/200007). B.N. Silva and M. Añibarro-Ortega acknowledge the financial support provided by FCT through the Ph.D. grants SFRH/BD/137801/2018 and 2020.06297.BD, respectively. E. Pereira (2021.03908.CEECIND), R.C. Calhelha, L. Barros and U. Gonzales-Barron acknowledge the national funding by FCT, P.I., through the Individual and Institutional Scientific Employment Program contract. C. Caleja is grateful for her contract through the project Healthy-PETFOOD (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-047073).
