Ginger as a natural antioxidant source to keep oil quality in the food product

Oleoresin extracted from ginger has brownish green color that tends to dark in color. The ginger oleoresin contain 20-30% of essential oil, 10% oil, and 50-70% resin constituent (especially gingerol) that has the role in the formation of hot characteristics of ginger.
The ginger essential oil if separated from the ginger oleoresin, is in the form of shiny yellow liquid, and has the characteristic of ginger flavor. The chemical component in the ginger essential oil is a-pinene, camphene, phellendrene, mycene, cineole, methyte-pteone, borneol, linalool, citral, C10 and Ca-aldehide, a-dan b-zingiberone, a-curcumene, farnesene, sesquiterpene alcohol.

The hot and bite taste from the ginger and the ginger oleoresin caused by the resin constituent (non volatile) like gingerol and shogaol. Fresh ginger has a high level of gingerol so it is hotter than dried ginger that has lower level of gingerol and has already experience a changing in the level of shogaol, zingerone, and paradol.
The spices can prevent rancidity and can keep shelf life of the food by blocking the fat or oil oxidation, especially in the food with high oil content. In the oil oxidation process, fat or oil is breaks into peroxide (free radical) as the result of its interaction with the air or oxygen and finally become aldehyde, ketone and alcohol that give rancid smell to the fat or oil. The spices can prevent the oil oxidation process by blocking or “catching” free radicals, so they can keep the oil quality. The natural antioxidant in the ginger is known to become a strong natural antioxidant in the meat product, animal fat, and soya fat, and also gives uniqe flavor to the traditional food products that contain oil in Indonesia like geplak (made from coconut meat), jenang (made from coconut milk and sticky rice flour), and also virgin coconut oil (made from coconut milk).
Natural compound that work as the natural antioxidant is fenolic compund (gingerol and shogaol) that can be found in the ginger oleoresin. Some researches studied in the potential of ginger oleoresin as natural antioxidant in Indonesian traditional food mentioned above. Some researchers from Indonesia found that the antioxidant activitiy of ginger oleoresin obviously higher than other spices such as Curcuma, etc.

Related archieves:
Sesame oil processing