Physicochemical characterization and antioxidant potential of plant extracts for use in foods

Abstract The challenge of producing safe, high-quality food has led the food industry to look for natural products. Plants are excellent sources of nutritional compounds and phytochemicals, which can add functional value to products. This research aimed to evaluate plant extracts (açaí, cinnamon, guaraná, hibiscus, jambu, and mate) for their physicochemical properties and to assess their antioxidant potential, thus allowing application in food products. The açaí extract had the highest total carbohydrate content (90.1%), while the cinnamon extract exhibited the highest L* value (67.8%). In the comparative analysis, the guaraná extract had the highest protein content (20.9%), while the jambu extract had the highest lipid content (19.7%) and, consequently, the highest energy value (474 kcal.100 g-1). The highest amounts of the elements C and N were reported in the guaraná extract (73.3% and 4.4%, respectively), while the elements Ca and P were more pronounced in the hibiscus extract (0.5% and 0.2%). Regarding the color parameters, as expected, the hibiscus extract exhibited more red color (a* = 17.5) in contrast, the jambu extract had a lower luminosity and b* value (28.3 and -1.4, respectively), indicating green and blue tones. The mate extract showed greater antioxidant potential in the three assays, 1574.3 µmol TE g-1 (ABTS+), 1048.9 µmol TE g-1 (DPPH) and 2539.9 µmol TE g-1 (FRAP) and higher content of TPC (776 mg GAE g-1). The plant extracts have great potential as natural colorants and ingredients in food formulations due to their physicochemical characteristics, such as color, proteins, lipids, minerals, and antioxidant potential.