Autor(es): Pinteus, Susete ; Neves, Marta ; Tecelão, Carla ; Silva, Susana ; Cruz, Alexandra ; Bernardino, Susana ; Mendes, Vasco ; Vaz, Daniela ; Campos, Maria Jorge ; Santos Ribeiro, Vânia
Data: 2024
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/9865
Origem: IC-online
Assunto(s): Antioxidant activity; Circular economy; Vegetable oils oxidation; Figs’ orchards; Food quality; Orchards sub-products; Sustainable food; Waste valorization
The pressure imposed by the increase of world’s population and climate change makes it imperative to find sustainable strategies to optimize food resources and decrease waste production based on circular economy principles. This work evaluated the potential of fig tree leaves to reduce the oxidation of sunflower oil when exposed to frying temperatures. The bioactive compounds extracted directly from fig tree leaves were incorporated into the oil at a ratio of 12.5% (m/m), with the assistance of ultrasounds. The supplemented oil was characterized in terms of its total phenolic content (TPC), which was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and its antioxidant capacity, which was evaluated using both the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and the ferric reduction antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Also, the color of the oil and the oxidation products (K232 and K270) were analyzed. Supplementing the oil with fig tree leaves resulted in a higher antioxidant capacity compared to the control, as demonstrated by the DPPH assay (5128 ± 466 vs. 1106 ± 407 µM Trolox eq/kg oil), as well as lower levels of primary and secondary oxidation products. The results suggest that fig tree leaves can be a valuable source of antioxidant compounds with the capacity to improve the nutritional value and oxidative stability of sunflower oil under frying temperatures.
