Dados do Trabalho

Título

TOTAL ANTHOCYANINS, ANTHOCYANIDINS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF LYOPHILIZED JUÇAÍ AND TABLETS

Introdução

The fruit of the juçara palm (E. edulis M.) from the Atlantic Forest is well known in Brazil as the Atlantic Forest açaí, and differs from its main competitor, the Northern açaí (E. oleracea M.) in that its fruit is rich in anthocyanins, substances responsible for its purple color. Anthocyanidins, mainly cyanidin 3-O-glucoside and cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside, are approximately three times higher than those of the Northern açaí, and have a high antioxidant capacity, with great potential for preventing chronic diseases resulting from inflammatory and oxidative processes.

Material e Métodos

Total anthocyanins were analyzed by UV/Vis spectrophotometry, anthocyanidins by HPLC and antioxidant activity by the ABTS+ method. To prepare the tablets, 8.47 g of lyophilized juçaí pulp were used to integrate the lyophilized pulp with the clay, where the fragmentation was carried out with a mortar and pestle to standardize the particle size. Then, a 5% PVP 40 (polyvinylpyrrolidone) solution was prepared for the final mixture. Microcrystalline cellulose was combined in a 1:1 ratio with lyophilized juçaí, mixing 10 g of each substance. After reaching the desired uniformity, 3 ml of the previously prepared PVP solution were added. The mixture was then placed in a drying oven for 24 hours at 55ºC. After drying, the lyophilized powder incorporated into the clay was obtained, which was subjected to pressing to compact the powder and obtain clay tablets.

Resultados e Discussão

The antioxidant activity of the lyophilized juçaí and the tablets were 750.53 and 47.49 Trolox (µM) eq. g-1, respectively. The values of total anthocyanins in the lyophilized and tablets were, respectively, 2177.67 and 62.80 mg of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside 100 g-1. In the lyophilized juçaí, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside were 489.48 and 1275.09 mg. 100 g-1, respectively, while in the juçaí tablets, these values were significantly reduced to 12.33 and 31.72 mg. 100 g-1, respectively. The results obtained establish juçaí as a fruit with great antioxidant potential,

Conclusão

The results obtained establish juçaí as a fruit with great antioxidant potential, making it an excellent option for the development of functional foods and products, among other products.