Biorresíduos de Punica granatum L. como potencial fonte de compostos fenólicos com aplicação alimentar

Abstract

There is now a clear trend towards the incorporation of natural-based ingredients into food and pharmaceutical formulations. In addition to being well accepted by consumers, these ingredients do not have as much adverse side effects as in the case of artificial components. In a complementary way, and considering the current premises of the circular economy, we have been trying to develop applications that value the high potential contained in this bio-waste, once considered as disposable materials. The plant material that remains from the industrial processing of pomegranate, one of the twenty most produced fruits worldwide is a good example of these bio-waste. In fact, the pomegranate processing industry produces large quantities of side products, which can be an added cost and a difficult disposal material. In this way, the development of efficient ways of exploiting this bio-waste can have significant economic and environmental benefits. Phenolic compounds present in pomegranate bark (e.g., hydrolysable tannins and flavonoids) exhibit biological activities (e.g. antioxidant, anti-inflammatory or antimicrobial activity). However, it is necessary to ensure the most efficient extractionnot only of the free compounds, but also of those naturally bound to the cell wall, which represent an important percentage in the case of pomegranate. The aim of this work is to test the performance of three solvents, water, ethanol and water / ethanol in the extraction of punicalagin, punicalin, among other antioxidants, to complete its chromatographic characterization and to evaluate its bioactivity. Pomegranate peel extracts, after validation of their properties, will be used as ingredients for "casadinho" type biscuit formulations, contributing to the promotion of consumer health. The results presented in the extracts were assigned by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS. The results revealed a presence of fourteen phenolic compounds in the Mollar of Elche, highlighting a punicalagin and galloyl-HHDP-glucose as the major compounds. In turn, the extracts of pomegranate Queen Purple, Stimulate the phenolic compounds even in units smaller than the previously mentioned cultivar. Additionally, this variety has three anthocyanins in its composition that may justify its characteristic reddish color of the bark. The Mollar of Elche of the variety stood out to present a greater antioxidant and antibacterial activity.With the potential for selection and selection of bioactive characteristics, select a version of Purple Queen to incorporate a typical Brazilian product into a set of biological and functional characteristics, in order to take advantage of a little explored bio-residue. The results showed that the incorporation of the extract did not cause significant alterations to the nutritional profile, having obtained a greater antioxidant activity in relation to the traditional product. In this way, this work was carried out with the use of pomegranate peel in the food industry as a natural ingredient with potential and functional for the economy and industry.