Essential oils (EOs) are known for their antioxidant properties, and are widely employed in the food industry as preservatives. They can be used as condiments or as preservatives to achieve certain organoleptic effects for consumers. The aim of this research was to evaluate antioxidant activity in mixtures of three EOs: Apium graveolens L., Thymus vulgaris L. and Coriandrum sativum L., using the Simplex Lattice Mixture Design. Ultimately, a linear model was used, as it best adjusted to the experimental behavior, and it allowed the prediction of EOs mixtures antioxidant activity, determined by FRAP and ABTS techniques. The mixture of the three EOs that showed the best antioxidant activity and also had the highest synergistic effect, was composed of 66.7% of T. vulgaris, 16.7% of C. sativum and 16.7% of A. graveolens. The greatest contribution to the potentiation of antioxidant activity was shown by T. vulgaris followed by A. graveolens and then C. sativum.

The present study carried out the optimisation of the total polyphenol content (TPC) extraction assisted by ultrasound in Ilex guayusa leaves applying response surface methodology (RSM). Also, the evaluation of the antioxidant activity of the extract obtained under the optimal extraction conditions was performed. The effect of the variables like, time of sonication, temperature, ethanol/water ratio and solid/liquid relationship and the interactions between them were analysed through the use of a factorial design 2ˆ4. The significant factors were considered for the optimisation, employing a Box-Behnken Design, and the TPC as response variables. It was found that a quadratic model was adequate, with an adjusted R² value of 0.9367. The optimal conditions proposed, by the response surface model were: an extraction temperature of 60 °C, sonication time of 29.9 min and ethanol/water ratio of 76.8/23.2. The optimised leaves extract of I. guayusa show a TPC of 3.46 (±0.17) g gallic acid equivalents/100 g d.w. Radical scavenger activity of the obtained extract at optimum conditions, was performed through the FRAP and ABTS methods, given as result: 0.080 mmol TROLOX equivalents/100 g d.w. and 40.71 μmol TROLOX equivalents/g d.w., respectively. Due to the present findings, I. guayusa extracts can be proposed as a promising component for functional beverages, cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulation.

Termites are one of the most challenging pests that agriculture and urban environments are faced with. They bring substantial losses in annual and perennial crops and damage wood components at construction sites. The development of natural products with biological activity for termite control is an ecological alternative in the search to replace conventional products. Hence, the aim of this research was to predict the termiticidal and repellent effects of the essential oil from Ocotea quixos leaves on Nasutitermes corniger using a one-factor response surface methodology design. The variable analysed was the concentration of essential oil in ethanol at an interval of 0.3–0.05% for anti-termite activity and between 0.12 and 0.01% for repellent action. A 100% mortality rate was found at concentrations higher than 0.12% and at the minimum concentration analysed, the effect was 22.2%. As for the repellent action, the concentration of 0.12% was able to repel 100% of the termites and at 0.01% it repelled 48.9%. The analysis of the essential oil from Ocotea quixos leaves by GC-MS resulted in the presence of 42 compounds, 39 of them elucidated. The main compounds were (E)-cinnamyl acetate (36.44%), (E)-cinnamaldehyde (27.03%), (E)-β-caryophyllene (5.21%) and (E)-methyl isoeugenol (4.18%).