herbs and spices stand out, due to their facility for
incorporating in foods and their high antioxidant
activity already mentioned (Yanishlieva et al.,
2006). The oregano extracts present high content of
polyphenols and intense antioxidant property, acting
in an effective way in the prevention of all stages
of the oxidative process, from neutralization of
free radicals, to blockage of peroxidation catalyzed
by iron and, finally, the interruption of the lipid
radical in the reaction chain (Aranha and Jorge,
2012; Rotolo et al., 2013). According to Teixeira
et al. (2013) the oregano extracts and essential oilhave strong potential to be used as alternatives to
synthetic chemicals in industries whereas oxidation
and microbial contamination are problems.