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Antioxidants are a field of food science and nutrition which is under close attention - is among the most studied subject in these areas - for their key role in maintaining homeostasis, protecting cellular components and their functions, and reducing oxidative stress (Cömert and Gökmen, 2018). Food can be a source of several compounds with antioxidant activity. There are several studies demonstrating proportionality between the consumption of antioxidant compounds through diet and the decrease in the incidence of certain pathologies. It is known that pine nut seeds are important sources of various antioxidant compounds (Xiao-Yu Su et al., 2009). Comparing to other nut kernels (such as walnut, hazelnut, peanut and almond) pine nut is third with highest antioxidant capacity (Delgado et al., 2010). Two varieties of pine nut seeds (Selected Pine Nut, SPN and Regular Pine Nut, RPN) cultivated in Portugal have been investigated for its antioxidant activity and for its Total Phenolic Content (TPC). The difference between them is that one is announced to be from a higher quality and the other from a regular quality, with a huge difference at the market value. In this work, the total phenols of the pine nut seeds extract were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The potential of the extract to neutralize reactive species was evaluated by the assay with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The higher antioxidant activity was observed for SPN and the highest phenol content was detected also in this sample. Comparing to other kernel nuts, pine nut demonstrate remarkable antioxidant activity and high content of phenolic compounds (Cömert and Gökmen, 2018). As for the comparison between the different pine nut varieties, the results point out that a more careful manufacture preserves the antioxidant activity and, in this sense, adds functional value to the pine nut seeds. This study demonstrated that pine nuts seeds grown in Portugal exhibit high antioxidant activity with a great potential to be incorporated in food products to promote human health. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido com o apoio da FCT. N/A |
