Abstract
This study was conducted to assess the antioxidant potential of polyphenolic extracts from Rhizophora mucronata and Avicennia marina as natural preservatives in comparison with synthetic butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and rosemary extract. Antioxidant activities were assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and total phenolic content (TPC). Extracts were blended into linseed oil and evaluated for oxidative stability using a 15-day Schaal oven test. Physicochemical analyses, including peroxide value (PV), acid index (AI), p-anisidine value (p-AnV), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), showed that mangrove-treated oils exhibited the highest stability against oxidation compared to the negative and positive controls. R. mucronata mature leaves presented the highest DPPH inhibition (93.40%) and the lowest TBARS value (0.33 ± 0.0 mg MDA/kg of oil) on day 11. Fluorescence spectroscopy provided complementary and valuable information. Statistical analysis using factorial discriminant analysis (FDA) achieved a classification accuracy of 91.43%, underlining the different oxidative profiles of the treated samples. These findings demonstrated the potential of extracts from mangrove plants as a sustainable alternative to synthetic antioxidants for food preservation. Future studies should explore broader food applications using advanced analytical techniques to optimize their efficiency and performing a series of toxicity evaluations.