Contenido de nutrientes en vegetales y frutas y bioaccesibilidad in vitro durante el almacenamiento pos-cosecha

Abstract

Vegetables and fruits are sources of high-quality nutrients and bioactive compounds for healthy life, but during the storage time, physiological changes modify the content or availability of these. In addition to local conditions of production, post-harvest handling and consumption habits, there are many factors that also change the amount and bioaccessibility of nutrients. In consequence, the objectives of this study were to determine some nutrient contents (β-carotene, glucose), theirs in vitro bioaccessibility and others phytochemicals compounds (Vitamin C, dietary fiber, total polyphenols) in winter squashes (Cucurbita spp.), sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) and native fruits such as butia (Butia odorata) in the edible portion and during local storage condition. All data were determined for 100 g fresh weight. The β-carotene contents were higher in orange pulps for sweet potato (70 mg), winter squash (21 mg) and low in butia (0.65 mg). Instead, the in vitro bioaccessibility of β-carotene was between 0.5 to 7%. The total glucose content was higher in sweet potato (10.3 to 18.6 g) than winter squash (1.4 to 3.8 g) and their in vitro bioaccessibility was 0.1 to 7.3%. All vegetables and fruits were sources of Vitamin C (19.6 to 59.5 mg AAE); dietary fiber (2.5 to 3.8 g) and total polyphenols (20.5 to 265.8 mg AGE). The amounts of the compounds were dependent in each species of the interaction between the variety and the storage time. These results demonstrate that the varieties and the time of storage significantly affect the nutritional values in vegetables and fruits analyzed, and provide information to define more adequate diets to local resources.