Abstract

Corn tortillas are the staple food of central American countries, and their consumption has spread to various parts of the world. However, consumers currently seek more nutritious foods that contain health-promoting compounds. The genus Opuntia spp. is a source of bioactive compounds that protect against chronic diseases in humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate the stability of phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity of a nanoencapsulated extract of Opuntia atropes added to corn tortillas. Phenolic compounds extracted from O. atropes cladodes were dehydrated and nanoencapsulated using maltodextrin as the wall material. The encapsulated phenolic extract was incorporated into corn flour, and tortillas were prepared. The total phenolic compounds (TPC), total flavonoid compounds (TFC), and antioxidant capacity by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS+ (2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline 6-sulfonic acid)) radical scavenging in the tortillas were evaluated. In vitro digestion was performed to evaluate the stability of the above compounds. Incorporating nanocapsules containing O. atropes extract significantly increased the phenolic compound content and antioxidant capacity of the tortillas, yielding values of 0.3885 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g for total phenols, 0.2421 mg QE/g for total flavonoids and 0.1597 GAE/g for antioxidant capacity by DPPH and 0.2292 mg GAE/g for ABTS+ radical scavenging. Likewise, it was shown that, after in vitro digestion, the tortillas with nanocapsules (TN) showed a higher content of total phenols and flavonoids that were 0.7109 mg GAE/g and 0.1769 mg QE/g respectively, and higher antioxidant activity by capture of the DPPH radical of 0.2028 GAE/g and ABTS+ of 0.3307 mg GAE/g with respect to the control tortillas (CT). It was feasible to incorporate nanocapsules containing O. atropes extract, thereby increasing the content of bioactive compounds and preserving the antioxidant capacity of corn tortillas.

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