Dados do Trabalho

Título

EVALUATION OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS, PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS PROFILE AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF PITAHAYA (Hylocereus undatus) LYOPHILIZED PHYLLOXIDES

Introdução

Pitaya (Hylocereus undatus), belonging to the Cactaceae family, presents, in its different parts (including its stem known as cladode), significant nutritional and commercial potential, which may contain components potentially beneficial to human health. To optimize its processing, the freeze-drying method can be applied, favoring the preservation of quality characteristics. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional and bioactive potential of freeze-dried pitaya cladodes.

Material e Métodos

Samples were processed (removal of thorns), freeze-dried, and stored (4 °C) until physicochemical analyses were carried out (water activity, humidity, pH, titratable acidity, ash content), quantification of nutritional components (protein content, lipid content and mineral profile), phenolic compounds profile, and antioxidant activity (ABTS - 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid, FRAP - Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power and DPPH - 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl). These analyses were carried out in triplicate and the results were expressed as mean and standard deviation.

Resultados e Discussão

The cladode percentage of utilization reached 98.40% (after thorn removal), and 7.63% yield after freeze-drying process. The freeze-dried pitaya cladode showed low water activity (0.2 ± 0.0), humidity (7.8 ± 0.19), pH (2.2 ± 0.02) and titratable acidity (0.2 ± 0.02), with an percentage of ash of 12.7 ± 0.0. The analysis of nutritional components showed protein percentage (2.4 ± 0.14) similar to vegetable matrices and low lipid content (0.2 ± 0.05). Mineral profile analysis showed higher levels of potassium (3098.92 mg/100 g ± 114.62), calcium (832.37 mg/100 g ± 43.06) and magnesium (758.80 mg/100 g ± 21.40), besides sodium (415.80 mg/100 g ± 34.97) and phosphorus (127.56 mg/100 g ± 4.24), among the macrominerals. In addition, phenolic compounds with important antioxidant properties were identified, such as 5-caffeoylquinic acid, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid and gallic acid. The antioxidant analysis showed different values according to the method applied, with emphasis on the FRAP method which presented the highest values (13.46 ± 0.26 μmol/g). These results highlight the nutritional and functional potential of freeze-dried pitaya cladode as an unconventional plant-based matrix, characterized with high acidity, low humidity, low fat content, excellent source of minerals, and phenolic compounds and antioxidants essential for health.

Conclusão

These results highlight the nutritional and functional potential of freeze-dried pitaya cladode as a unconventional plant-based matrix, which can be used in novel products, or as an enriching component in food formulations.