## 3 Results and Discussion
### Crystal Morphology and Functional Properties
The antioxidant activity was mostly preserved in LM containing waxy materials having a large content of hydrocarbons, such as CLW and OKW matrixes, whereas the BEW matrix having the largest content of fatty acids showed a low antioxidant activity, according to the FRAP results. This behavior might be explained by the formation of oxidative species in BEW matrixes. Further, there was no relationship between the color parameters and antioxidant characteristics of LM. There was a large difference between the antioxidant values that were obtained from the FRAP and ABTS methods. This difference is explained by the low solubility of the ABTS reagent towards the lipophilic compounds, resulting in a partial complexation with the phenolic compounds. The high antioxidant ability of LM is explained by ROS scavenging and the inhibition of radicals and lipid peroxidation products. Further, the LEO capability to quench hydroxyl radicals and prevent oxidative damage is reduced to a 60% upon exposure to heat, and it was related to the reduction of polyphenol compounds that were initially present in the sample. The FRAP test denotes the power of antioxidants as reductants in the redox colorimetric reaction quantifying the ability of antioxidants to reduce ferric (III) ions to ferrous (II) ions at acidic pH. The higher the FRAP values, the higher the total antioxidants [9]. The results indicate a high correlation between total phenolic compounds with FRAP values (r\({}^{2}\) = 0.9807), suggesting that phenolic compounds in LEO highly contributed to the reduction of ferric ions to ferrous ions and free radical scavenging. These phenolic compounds act as antioxidants in the LM, because they stabilize radicals that prevent the oxidation of various waxy compounds, especially fatty acids [34]. This antioxidant activity might be ascribed to the presence of oxygenated monoterenes, followed by monoterene hydrocarbons and sesquiterpenes. In turn, these phenolic compounds may be able to inhibit oxidant enzymes of the body, such as nitric oxide synthase, lipoxygenase, xanthine oxidase, cyclooxygenase, NADPH oxidase, and myeloperoxidase, which play an important role in redox reactions that lead to the generation of ROS. The indirect long term result could be mirrored in an antiaging effect [35]. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Color Characteristics**} & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Antioxidant Properties \({}^{*}\)**} \\ \cline{2-10}
**Lipidic Matrix** & & & & & & **Total** & & & & **Volatile** \\
**or Essential** **Oil** & **L** & **a** & **b** & **c** & **h** & **Phenolic** & **FRAP** & **ABTS** & **Retention** \\  & & & & & & **(mg Collic & **Trolov/g**) & **Trolov/g**) & **(\%)** \\ \hline Beewax & 80.6 \(\pm\) 1.4 & 3.9 \(\pm\) 0.4 & 18.8 \(\pm\) 2.8 & 19.2 \(\pm\) 2.8 & 78.2 \(\pm\) 0.6 & 3.5 & 4272.1 & 0.37 & 98.7 \\ Candellila & 81.4 \(\pm\) 2.5 & 0.3 & 13.7 \(\pm\) 5.0 & 13.7 \(\pm\) 5 & 89.1 \(\pm\) 2.0 & 3.9 & 4516.6 & 0.2 & 99.1 \\ Carnauba & 77.2 \(\pm\) 1.4 & 0.1 & 20.9 \(\pm\) 2.4 & 21.02.5 & 88.5 \(\pm\) 1.5 & 3.8 & 4307.2 & 0.12 & 98.5 \\ Ozokerite & 80.9 \(\pm\) 1.3 & 0.2 \(\pm\) 0.1 & 1.6 \(\pm\) 0.3 & 40.7 \(\pm\) 2.9 & 96.6 \(\pm\) 3.3 & 3.8 & 4415.6 & 0.37 & 98.9 \\ LEO & N.A. & N.A. & N.A. & N.A. & N.A. & 2.3 & 3056.5 & 0.01 & N.A \\ Initial level & N.A. & N.A. & N.A. & N.A. & N.A & 4.6 & 5135.6 & 0.72 & N.A \\ \hline \hline \multicolumn{10}{l}{L: luminosity, a: red trend, b: yellow trend, c: chroma, h: hue, N.A.: not applicable, LEO: lemon essential oil, \({}^{*}\) the stability study was conducted at 50 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 7 days of storage.} \\ \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 5: Functional properties (color characteristics, volatile retention, and antioxidant activity) of lipidic matrixes.