Evaluación del potencial antioxidante del extracto de tuna (Opuntia soederstromiana) microencapsulado mediante secado por aspersión y su uso en la formulación de yogur tipo Skyr

Abstract

The food industry has experienced significant growth in the face of demand for products that promote consumer health. Despite this growth, innovations in the industry remain limited. This study will seek to incorporate bioactive ingredients derived from prickly pear (Opuntia soederstromiana) that can improve the nutritional value of dairy products such as yogurt and provide additional health benefits, such as strengthening the immune system, improving digestive health, and preventing metabolic diseases. The fruits were collected in the parish of Guayllabamba, Quito canton, their physicochemical properties were evaluated and with 96 percent ethanol, the extraction and microencapsulation of bioactive compounds were developed after a test with treatments at different concentrations and extraction time and it was decided that the optimal extraction treatment corresponds to the ratio of plant material per solvent 1:25 for 45 minutes. Polyphenols were evaluated by Folin-Cioacalteau and antioxidant activity by DPPH. The prickly pear (Opuntia soederstromiana) extract microencapsulated with maltodextrin (20:80) presented an efficiency of 85 percent, obtaining a trolox equivalent of 293.292 micromol per-100 g in the microencapsulated extract corresponding to a 52.34 percent DPPH radical inhibition. In addition, the skyr-type yogurt incorporated with the microencapsulated extract achieved an acceptability of 66.67 percent. From this research, the antioxidant source that promotes the development of healthier functional foods and adapts to current consumer trends is confirmed.