Antioxidant capacity of ungurahuí nectar (Oenocarpus bataua)

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Studies of antioxidant capacity in fruit drinks are related to the content of polyphenols, carotenoids and flavonoids.

Objective: To evaluate the antioxidant capacity of the nectar of ungurahuí (Oenocarpus bataua) in the process of making the nectar, in the stages of selection, pre-cooking, standardization and nectar, and the phytochemical analysis.

Material and methods: The fruits were collected from the “El Bosque” farm in the sector called “Loboyoc” in the district of “Las Piedras”, Tambopata, Madre de Dios, Perú. The nectar formulation was 11 ° Brix and water-pulp ratio (3: 1), the determination of the antioxidant capacity was by means of the method based on the formation of the blue Phosphorus-Molybdenum complex and for the qualitative phytochemical analysis the general characterization reactions of secondary metabolites.

 Results: The results of the antioxidant capacity expressed in mg of ascorbic acid in a sample gram are: 4.61 mg for the selection stage, 1.12 mg; pre-cook, 0.99 mg; standardized, 0.91 mg and the fruit nectar and for the secondary metabolites in the pulp: the absence of alkaloids, low proportion of amino acids, moderate presence of tannins, phenolic compounds, flavonoids and reducing sugars.

Conclusion: The pre-cooking heat treatment presents a drastic reduction in the antioxidant capacity due to the fact that some secondary metabolites that act as antioxidants decrease after being subjected to the physical chemical processes of nectar, from moderate to low proportions.

Keywords: oxidative stress, nutraceutical, functional food, free radicals and phenols.