Abstract
Recent studies have associated the consumption of yacon root as a functional plant food with reduced glycemic index and, due to its considerable phenolic acid levels, a protection of cell membranes against free radical damage. This study examined the effect of four different treatments including: (1) storage duration after harvest (one and three weeks after harvest); (2) pre-treatment before drying (untreated, pre-treatment with diluted lime juice); (3) drying method (freeze drying (FD) and convective hot air drying (CHAD)); and (4) cultivar (white and red), on the quality of yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius Poepp. and Endl.) chips in terms of their total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA) (ABTS (2,2′-Azino-Bis (3-Ethylbenzothiazoline-6-Sulfonic Acid) Diammonium Salt) radical scavenging activity, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)). Overall, the chips that were produced using pre-treatment with diluted lime juice and FD had the highest amounts of TPC and AA. Regarding the chips produced by means of CHAD, retention of higher TPC and AA was possible with lime-juice pre-treatment and use of higher hot air temperatures. Moreover, chips produced from the white cultivar had higher TPC and AA than chips produced from the red cultivar.
Highlights
Consumption of plant food, fruits, has been shown to be directly or indirectly positively associated in reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, etc. owing to their nutrients and non-nutritive constitutes [1]
The total dry matter content of yacon chips produced one week after harvest from the white cultivar ranged between 91.20 ± 0.32 and 92.80 ± 0.32% for WHA40L and WHA40, respectively, while it ranged between 91.47 ± 0.45 and 92.92 ± 0.45% for WHA40CL and WHA40C, for white yacon chips which were produced three weeks after harvest (Table 3)
The results of this study determined that the bioactivity of yacon chips is better preserved when pre-treatments with diluted lime juice were used and dried by means of freeze drying (FD)
Summary
Consumption of plant food, fruits, has been shown to be directly or indirectly positively associated in reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, etc. owing to their nutrients and non-nutritive constitutes [1]. The beneficial effects of fruit consumption have been associated with their high content of bioactive compounds (e.g., phenols) which can act as antioxidants and protect the body from oxidative stress, lower energy content and dietary fibre content [1,2,3,4]. The phenolic content of plant foods, their antioxidant activity, health-promoting effects, and prospective potential for the development of functional food products, plant-based nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals have been the focus of ample investigations [3,5]. Endl.) belongs to the plant family Asteraceae and is an underutilized tuberous crop. It has its origin in the Andean region, it has been cultivated in other regions such as Brazil, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Germany, Japan, and New Zealand
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