Flour from Prosopis alba seeds: a natural source of nutrient and bioactive phytochemicals

CATTANEO F.; COSTAMAGNA M.; ZAMPINI I.C; ALBERTO M. R.; SAYAGO J; CHAMORRO V.; PAZOS A.; THOMAS-VALDÉS S; SCHMEDA-HIRSCHMANN G; ISLA M.I

FOOD CHEMISTRY

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2016 vol. 208 p. 89 - 96

0308-8146

The Prosopis alba seed is a waste material in the process to produce pod flour. To suggest a potential use of these seeds it is necessary to determine the nutritional, phytochemical and funtional quality of cotyledon flour from Prosopis alba. This flour showed high level of proteins (62 %), low content of carbohydrate and fat. Free polyphenol (1150 ± 20 mg GAE/100 g flour) and carotenoids (10.55±0.05 mg β-CE /100 g flour) compounds were the dominant compounds. The main identified constituents in the polyphenolic extracts were C- glycosyl flavones, including schaftoside, isoschaftoside, vicenin II, vitexin and isovitexin. The extract enriched in polyphenolic compounds exhibited ABTS?+ reducing capacity and scavenging activity of H2O2; and was able to inhibit phospholipase, lipoxygenase and ciclooxygenase, three pro-inflammatory enzymes. According to our results, the P. alba cotyledon flour could be considered as a new alternative in the formulation of functional foods or food supplements.