Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of tyrosol and derivative-compounds in the presence of vitamin B2. Assays of synergistic antioxidant effect with commercial food additives.

The main causes of food spoilage come from the process of oxidation and the contamination by microorganisms. For the purpose of increasing food shelf-life the industries employ different techniques, being the addition of preservatives, one of the most used. The aim of this contribution was to investigate the potential antioxidant properties of tyrosol (4-hydroxyphenethyl alcohol, 4-OH) and tyrosol derived isomers (2-hydroxyphenethyl alcohol, 2-OH and 3-hydroxyphenethyl alcohol, 3-OH) against reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antimicrobial effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Furthermore, the type of antioxidant effect of substrates and commercial antioxidants mixtures was studied. Upon visible-light, the substrates interacted with the vitamin B2 and different ROS were generated. All the compounds deactivated O(Δ) and O, whereas only 2-OH and 3-OH inhibited HO and HO. The substrates exhibited a synergistic antioxidant effect when combined with commercial antioxidants. 2-OH showed antimicrobial activity against strains tested.