Cloves are the best natural antioxidants, which are crucial in keeping food fresh, a new study says.

Spanish researchers discovered the spice was the best antioxidant because of the high levels of phenolic compounds it contained, reports telegraph.co.uk. Antioxidants are crucial in keeping food fresh and the findings could have wide-ranging implications for the food industry.

The study has been hailed as a win for the push towards more natural foods as cloves would be able to replace synthetic antioxidants, which are currently used by manufacturers to make food last longer.

Professor Juana Fernandez-Lopez, from Spain's Miguel Hernandez University, said cloves were a versatile spice.

'Out of the five antioxidant properties tested, cloves had the highest capacity to give off hydrogen, reduced lipid peroxidation well, and was the best iron reducer,' she said.

'The results show that use of the natural oxidants occurring in spices used in the Mediterranean diet, or their extracts, is a viable option for the food industry, as long as the characteristics of the food product are not affected,' said Fernandez-Lopez.

'These substances exhibit high antioxidant capacity, and could have beneficial effects for health,' she added.

The study was published in the latest issue of the Flavour and Fragrance Journal.