Functional activity of Selenicereus undatus beverage enriched with plant extract capsules
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29076/issn.2528-7737vol19iss52.2026pp54-61pKeywords:
Antioxidant, phenolic content, encapsulation, fruit, juiceAbstract
As a source of bioactive compounds (antioxidants, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial), medicinal plants have been an important resource for humans, however, these elements are unstable and volatile which makes them susceptible to deterioration. In the present research, we evaluated the antioxidant activity and phenolic content in a pitahaya beverage enriched with capsules of plant extracts obtained from five wild species from the province of Manabí, being: T1 (beverage + Cymbopogon flexuosus), T2 (beverage + Ocimum tenuiflorum), T3 (beverage + Lippia alba), T4 (beverage + Alpinia zerumbet) y T5 (beverage + Mentha spicata). The extracts were encapsulated by ionic gelation method, while the antioxidant activity and phenolic content were determined by ABTS and Folin- Ciocalteu respectively. The results obtained showed that T4 presented higher antioxidant activity (3,96 ± 0,01 mg/L Trolox), unlike T1, which has lower antioxidant activity (3,72 ± 0.00 mg/L Trolox). Regarding phenolic content, it was observed that T3 had the highest phenolic content (1281,37 ± 4,57) mg EAG/ml), whereas T1 showed lower functional activity (866,37 ± 9,99) mg EAG/ml). The incorporation of capsules with vegetable extracts could enhance and enrich the functional properties of beverages and thus take advantage of the benefits
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Copyright (c) 2026 Carlos Tubay Bermudez, Rosa Irina García Paredes , Cristina Simone Vélez Saltos, Kimberly Mayerlyn Lucas Vera , Jorge David Macías Vera, Ely Fernando Sacón Vera, Carlos Andrés Guato Guevara , Johnny Daniel Bravo Loor, Eliana Lisset García Paredes
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