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

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

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 apotential use of these seeds it is necessary to determine the nutritional, phytochemical and funtionalquality of cotyledon flour from Prosopis alba. This flour showed high level of proteins (62 %), lowcontent of total carbohydrate and fat. Free polyphenol (1150 ± 20 mg GAE/100 g flour) andcarotenoids (10.55±0.05 mg β-CE/100 g flour) compounds were the dominant compounds. Themain identified constituents in the polyphenolic extracts were C- glycosyl flavones, includingschaftoside, isoschaftoside, vicenin II, vitexin and isovitexin. The extract enriched in polyphenoliccompounds exhibited ABTS?+ reducing capacity and scavenging activity of H2O2; and was able toinhibit 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 theformulation of functional foods or food supplements.