Corn starch systems as carriers for yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) antioxidants

LORENA DELADINO; ALINE SCHNEIDER TEIXEIRA; ALBA NAVARRO; INMACULADA ÁLVAREZ; ANTONIO D. MOLINA-GARCÍA; MIRIAM MARTINO

FOOD AND BIOPRODUCTS PROCESSING

INST CHEMICAL ENGINEERS

Año: 2015 vol. 94 p. 463 - 472

0960-3085

The ability of corn starch to carry a yerba mate extract with high antioxidant properties was explored. Starch was treated with high hydrostatic pressure to increase loading capacity. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the high pressure treatment altered the shape of starch granules and changed their surface appearance. High pressure caused partial granule gelatinization as determined by calorimetric measurements, increasing the specific surface area of starches quantified by nitrogen adsorption. Granule surface was increased due to the generation of pores favouring the adsorption of the hydrosoluble polyphenols of yerba mate. The polyphenol concentration of yerba mate in the starch carriers was determined by HPLC-MS and the antioxidant activity was measured towards DPPH radical and by photochemiluminiscense method. Treated starches incorporated a higher amount of yerba mate polyphenols, however native starch could be an appropriate antioxidant carrier as well. High pressure maintained the antioxidant activity without changing the yerba mate polyphenols profile.