An Apple and Acáchul Berry Snack Rich in Bioaccessible Antioxidants and Folic Acid: A Healthy Alternative for Prenatal Diets
Rocío Corfield,
Mariana C. Allievi,
Roy Rivero,
Tamara A. López,
Oscar E. Pérez,
Daniela Salvatori,
Carolina Schebor
Affiliations
Rocío Corfield
Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos y Procesos Químicos (UBA-CONICET), Departamento de Industrias, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes, s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
Mariana C. Allievi
Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA-CONICET), Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes, s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
Roy Rivero
Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos de Entre Ríos (UNER-CONICET), Facultad de Bromatología, Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, J. D. Perón 1154, Gualeguaychú 2820, Argentina
Tamara A. López
Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos de Entre Ríos (UNER-CONICET), Facultad de Bromatología, Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, J. D. Perón 1154, Gualeguaychú 2820, Argentina
Oscar E. Pérez
Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA-CONICET), Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes, s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
Daniela Salvatori
Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos, Biotecnología, y Energías Alternativas (UNCO-CONICET), Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Buenos Aires 1400, Neuquén 8300, Argentina
Carolina Schebor
Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos y Procesos Químicos (UBA-CONICET), Departamento de Industrias, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes, s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
A fruit leather (apple and acáchul berry) oriented toward women of reproductive age was developed. The snack was supplemented with an ingredient composed of folic acid (FA) and whey proteins (WPI) to ensure the required vitamin intake to prevent fetal neural tube defects. In order to generate a low-calorie snack, alternative sweeteners were used (stevia and maltitol). The fruit leather composition was determined. Also, an in vitro digestion process was carried out to evaluate the bioaccessibility of compounds with antioxidant capacity (AC), total polyphenols (TPCs), total monomeric anthocyanins (ACY), and FA. The quantification of FA was conducted by a microbiological method and by HPLC. The leather contained carbohydrates (70%) and antioxidant compounds, mainly from fruits. Bioaccessibility was high for AC (50%) and TPCs (90%), and low for ACY (17%). Regarding FA, bioaccessibility was higher for WPI-FA (50%) than for FA alone (37%), suggesting that WPI effectively protected the vitamin from processing and digestion. Furthermore, the product was shown to be non-cytotoxic in a Caco-2 cell model. The developed snack is an interesting option due to its low energy intake, no added sugar, and high content of bioactive compounds. Also, the supplementation with WPI-FA improved the conservation and bioaccessibility of FA.