Effects of different polarity of onion skin extracts on antioxidative properties and non‐volatile profiles.

Summary: Onion skins are agricultural by‐products that contain high levels of antioxidants, including quercetin and protocatechuic acid. The solubility of extracts can affect their antioxidant capacity in food oil matrices. The antioxidative properties of onion skin extracts with different polarity were compared and the chemical profiles of the extracts were identified by GC‐MS. Highly lipophilic, moderately hydrophilic and highly hydrophilic onion skin extracts (HLE, MHE and HHE, respectively) were prepared and their antioxidant properties were tested using in vitro assays and bulk oil or oil‐in‐water (O/W) emulsions. The most abundant phenolic compounds in the onion skin extracts were quercetin and protocatechuic acid. The lipophilicity levels of HLE, MHE and HHE were 0.674, 0.394 and −1.225, respectively. HLE showed higher antioxidant capacity in bulk oil and O/W emulsion matrices compared to MHE and HHE. The antioxidant capacity of HLE was higher in the O/W emulsion than in the bulk oil system. Therefore, highly lipophilic onion skin extracts can be used as effective natural antioxidants in oil matrices, especially O/W emulsions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]