Evaluación de la actividad antioxidante de los compuestos extraídos de los residuos agroindustriales de guayaba (Psidium guajava L.) como fuente natural de compuestos bioactivos provenientes de una industria de helados del cantón Salcedo, provincia de Cotopaxi

Abstract

The challenges of population growth and increased food demands have led many ice cream companies to discard their waste, unaware of the significant opportunity presented by the extraction of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant capacity, such as guava. These compounds can provide eco-friendly and sustainable solutions for industries like pharmaceuticals, food, and biotechnology. In the respective processes, residual seeds from the fruit were collected and conditioned, and the compounds of interest were quantified at different plant material-solvent ratios and extraction times. 70 percent ethanol for 30 minutes proved to be the best option, yielding quantities exceeding 400 mg GAE by g extracted. Subsequently, the resulting samples were microencapsulated with gum arabic as the encapsulant and their concentration was determined quantitatively, achieving 69,5 percent, and qualitatively using FTIR (infrared spectrophotometry). Finally, the percentage of DPPH inhibition was quantified, resulting in 92.59 percent in the concentrated solids and 50.17 percent in the microencapsulated product. This demonstrates the relationship between the treatment performed and the type of fruit used, which can contain various compounds of scientific and commercial interest, representing a new source for the extraction of bioactive compounds. Thus, the purpose of this project is to utilize guava seeds as a natural source of bioactive compounds for the development of products of industrial interest.