Extração de betalaína a partir do resíduo da beterraba (Beta Vulgaris L. )para potencial aplicação em bala de gelatina

Abstract

Food waste is a global problem, with more than 1.3 billion tons of food being wasted worldwide each year. A promising alternative to reducing these numbers is the use of food waste in the creation of new products. Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) has high nutritional value and antioxidant capacity, helping to balance the human body and prevent diseases, with these beneficial effects related to the presence of betalain, a natural colorant present in the vegetable, responsible for its dark red color. Minimally processed beets generate approximately 65% of waste, including leaves and peels, and gelatin candies are a product made with natural gums and sugars, where the replacement of synthetic colorants with natural colorants is an alternative to improve the nutritional characteristics of this widely consumed product. In this context, the objective of this work is to extract the natural colorant betalain from beetroot skin and apply it to gelatin candies. For this, tests were carried out with two extracting solvents, namely: water and ethanol. The extracts were analyzed for their betalain content and antioxidant activity. The aqueous extract, which obtained the best extraction conditions, was lyophilized, and applied to gelatin candies. The candies were analyzed for their stability (pH, humidity, color, betalain and antioxidant activity) over a period of 45 days. Regarding the results obtained, it was found that beetroot skin has higher concentrations of betalains and antioxidants compared to fresh beetroot, with 69.07 mg/100g of batocyanins, 40.29 mg/100g of betaxanthins and 56.75 mmol Trolox Eq./g sample, which validates its use. Furthermore, the gelatin candies exhibited an average moisture content of 86% and an approximate pH of 4.4, in line with information available in the literature. Candy with dyes showed greater antioxidant activity and higher levels of betalains compared to those without added dyes. . However, as the days went by, they proved to be unstable, with their color tending to orange, an undesirable sensory factor. Therefore, the use of preservatives should be considered to increase the stability of the cutter. Therefore, using beet peels to extract natural colorant to replace artificial colorants in the food industry, as well as being a source of compounds with antioxidant activity, is an efficient alternative for the use of agro-industrial waste, helping to reduce the negative environmental impact caused due to the inadequate disposal of this waste.