Antioxidant capacity of bioactive compounds from undervaluated red mombin seed (Spondias purpurea L.) affected by different drying stages

Abstract

The present study evaluated the effects of thermal treatment on the physical, nutritional, and antinutritional characteristics of Brazilian red mombin seeds (Spondias purpurea L.), which were divided into three batches: in natura, dried, and roasted. When under moderate (50 °C) and high (130 °C) heat, the parameters evaluated were influenced by the drying process with heat positively impacting the variables studied by reducing water content in the food matrix. This allowed an increment of nutrients and phenolic compounds, identified using HPLC-DAD/UV–vis, and of vitamin C and total carotenoids, which may have contributed to the antioxidant capacity of the seeds. Considering the parameters evaluated in this study, roasted red mombin seeds are the best form of consumption for its high content of dietary fiber (85.27 g·100–1), vitamin C (122.71 g·100–1), and catechin (29.23 mg·100g–1). In addition to the preservation of nutritional characteristics, the roasting process allowed reducing and/or eliminating antinutritional components as a 60% reduction in the value of the trypsin inhibitor.