Oregano – A Very Effective Anti-Oxidant

Do you know that recent studies shows that oregano has more antioxidant fighting power than blueberries, apples, and oranges? According to “World’s Healthiest Foods,” the phytonutrients found in oregano are “potent antioxidants that can prevent oxygen-based damage to cell structures throughout the body.” Additionally, research is ongoing to study whether oregano and its compounds may be more effective than chemicals like BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) and BHA (butylated bydroxyanisole) which are added to processed foods to prevent botulism.

(In addition to its antioxidant potency, dried oregano is also considered to be an excellent source of Vitamin K, of which increased intake appears to reduce rates of cancers as well as decreasing bone mass loss in women who have gone through menopause).

Cooking With Oregano May Protect Against Oxidation Of Food

In a study lead by Dimitris Houhoula at the National Technical University of Athens (Greece), it was discovered that dried Greek oregano, when added to cottonseed oil, protected against the breakdown or oxidation of the cooking oil. In other words, the oil remained stable for a longer period of time than without the addition of the dried herb, thus reducing the levels of other compounds in cooking oils when they are heated. The oregano used was collected in Greece.

Sliced potatoes that had also been sprinkled with dried Greek oregano were then fried in the oil and were also monitored for oxidation. They discovered that these potato chips had a significantly longer storage rate and shelf life was greatly increased. Another similar study found that this method of cooking potato chips also provided an additional benefit of imparting a pleasant but subtle flavour to the potato chips.

Some have asked us how they might obtain more healthy benefits from the use of oregano. Many people in North America think of the herb as “pizza spice” and are not aware of many of its culinary uses, or how it can be used to improve the flavour of many dishes. Why not consider adding some flavor with Kirian Greek oregano the next time you fry up some potatoes? Not only great taste, but you’ll also be adding some potent anti-oxidant power there as well!

In addition, if you sign up too our announcement list, we’ll send you two free PDF’s – One containing traditional Greek recipes that you can use oregano with, and another that outlines more of the health benefits of our Greek oregano! Sign up here:

REFERENCES

Cheung AM, Tile L, Lee Y, Tomlinson G, Hawker G, Scher J, Hu H, Vieth R, Thompson L, Jamal S, Josse R. Vitamin K supplementation in postmenopausal women with osteopenia (ECKO trial): a randomized controlled trial. PLoS Med. 2008;5:e196.

Houhoula, D. P., Oreopoulou, V. and Tzia, C. (2004), Antioxidant efficiency of oregano in frying and storage of fried products. Eur. J. Lipid Sci. Technol., 106: 746–751. doi:10.1002/ejlt.200400995

Shahidi F. Handbook of Antioxidants for Food Preservation. Woodhead Publishing, Kidlington, UK. 2015.