1. Nutraceutic Characteristics of the Extracts and Juice of Chayote (Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.) Fruits
- Author
-
Fernando Carlos Gómez-Merino, Jorge Cadena-Iñiguez, María de la Luz Riviello-Flores, Lucero del Mar Ruiz-Posadas, Ma. de Lourdes Arévalo-Galarza, and Ramón Marcos Soto-Hernández
- Subjects
Antioxidant ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Organoleptic ,Flavonoid ,lcsh:TX341-641 ,fruits ,juice ,01 natural sciences ,0404 agricultural biotechnology ,Nutraceutical ,medicine ,Food science ,Sugar ,Cucurbitacin D ,lcsh:RC620-627 ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,biology ,flavonoids ,cucurbitacins ,010401 analytical chemistry ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,040401 food science ,Stevia ,food_chemistry ,0104 chemical sciences ,lcsh:Nutritional diseases. Deficiency diseases ,chemistry ,Sechium ,lcsh:Nutrition. Foods and food supply ,Food Science - Abstract
Fruits of chayote [Sechium edule (Jacq.) Swartz] are a non-traditional vegetable widely consumed in Latin America, with the state of Veracruz, México being the world’s main producer, but little is known about the nutraceutical potential. This study aimed to determine the chemical compositions and antioxidant activities from the juice fruits from two commercial varieties of chayote cultivated in Mexico, as well as a proposal for the elaboration of chayote juices with stevia leaves and pineapple juice. The physicochemical properties of juice from virens levis (VL) and nigrum spinosum (NS) varieties were determined using standard methods. The juice of the two varieties differ significantly regarding the concentrations of total soluble solids and total sugars, but not vitamin C. The total concentration of phenolics in NS extracts was slightly higher than in VL (1005 and 856 mg 100 g−1 dry-weight, respectively), but the total flavonoid contents were similar (27 and 26 mg 100 g−1 dry-weight, respectively). Cucurbitacin D was predominant in both varieties. The radical scavenging capacities of VL and NS extracts varied slightly (IC50 = 0.45 to 0.65 mg mL−1), while the antioxidant activities were similar (~80%). The NS variety is particularly promising regarding nutraceutical application. The chayote juice combined with stevia and pineapple maintained the original nutraceutical characteristics of the fruit, but enhanced the organoleptic characteristics like density and sugar/acidity balance.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF