Nine spice and aromatic herb samples (i.e., basil, bird pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg,oregano, parsley,
rosemary, and sage) were
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-irradiated at a dose of 10 kGy according to commercialpractices. The effects of the disinfection treatment on the content of organic radicals and some nutrients(namely, vitamin C and carotenoids) in the samples were investigated by chromatographic andspectroscopic techniques. Irradiation resulted in a general increase of quinone radical content in allof the investigated samples, as revealed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Thefate of these radicals after storage for 3 months was also investigated. The cellulose radical wasclearly observed in a few samples. Significant losses of total ascorbate were found for black pepper,cinnamon, nutmeg, oregano, and sage, whereas a significant decrease of carotenoids content wasobserved for cinnamon, oregano, parsley,
rosemary, bird pepper, and sage.Keywords: Spices; aromatic herbs; antioxidants; ascorbate; carotenoids; front-surface spectroscopy;
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-ray irradiation; EPR; free radicals