Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, functional properties and mutagenicity studies of protein and protein hydrolysate obtained from Prosopis alba seed flour

CATTANEO F.; SAYAGO J.E.; ALBERTO M. R.; ZAMPINI I.C; ORDOÑEZ R.M; CHAMORRO V.; PAZOS A.; ISLA M.I

FOOD CHEMISTRY

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2014 vol. 161 p. 391 - 399

0308-8146

According to the ?Código Alimentario Argentino?, ?algarrobo flour? is produced by grinding of whole mature pods of P. alba and P. nigra but most of the seeds are discarded in the traditional process. The aim of this paper was to determine the nutritional and biological properties of Prosopis alba cotyledon flour. Crude protein was the major component of cotyledon flour (62 %). Besides this, cotyledon proteins contained all of the essential amino acids. Furthermore, the flour showed low level of carbohydrate and fat. The main fatty acids were linoleic (60.62%), oleic (18.08%) and palmitic (15.87%) acids. As regards minerals, the flour was high in K and P and low in Na. Further, the cotyledon flour could be considered a ?source of fiber? due to its high content (9%). Carotenoids were the dominant phytochemical (10.55±0.05 g β-CE /100 g flour). The free polyphenol content of cotyledon flour (1150 mg GAE/100 g DW) was determined. Flavonoids were the dominant free phenolics in the cotyledon flour (396 mg QE/100 g DW) followed by tannins. The cotyledon flour exhibited ABTS?+ reducing capacity and scavenging activity of H2O2. Extract enriched in free phenolic compounds was able to inhibit three pro-inflammatory enzymes (lipoxygenase, phospholipase and cyclooxigenase). The absence of mutagenic effect against Salmonella typhimurium strains is a positive step towards determining its safe use in traditional consumption. The results suggest that due to its nutritional and functional properties, P. alba cotyledon flour could be considered a new alternative in the formulation of foods or food supplements, alone or combined with cereal proteins.