Caracterização físico-química e análise antioxidante da polpa de uvaia (Eugenia pyriformis cambess)

Abstract

The current search for a healthy diet leads to increased consumption of fruit and other products in natura. Fruits serve the healthy aspect, because they act in the general conservation of the human organism collaborating in retarding aging of cells through its antioxidant substances such as vitamins, carotenoids and phenolic compounds and, in a way, are considered herbal. The uvaia fruit, little known and used in the preparation of food, presents considerable amounts of antioxidants and can help the defense mechanism in controlling damage by free radicals in cells. The same also contains high amounts of vitamin C when compared to other fruits studied. This makes it an excellent source of this vitamin necessary for maintaining the health of the body. Studies of antioxidant activity, quantification of total phenolic quantification of Vitamin C and physico- chemical analysis (ash, moisture, acidity, lipids and proteins) pulps uvaia (frozen in natura) were performed. The methods used were scavenging free radicals with antioxidant to DPPH and colorimetric Folin - Ciocalteau method for the quantification of phenolic compounds, the remaining analyzes followed the Analytical Standards Institute Adolfo Lutz. In this research could confirm the presence of vitamin C higher than most citrus, in addition to the inhibition of free radicals, thus confirming a good antioxidant activity.