Abstract
The nutritional composition of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) has been related to the prevention of diverse metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Previous works have shown that cowpea immature pods exhibited higher phenolic composition and antioxidant activity as compared to immature and dry seeds. This work aims to develop a cowpea immature pod ready-to-eat purée for the elderly to promote the maintenance of their muscle mass and synthesis of neurotransmitters implicated in depression disorder and sleep quality. In a preliminary approach, this study intends to assess the phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, nutritional composition, and essential and non-essential amino acids of the cowpea at two different growth stages: immature pods and green seeds. Immature pods showed a significantly higher content of total phenols (11.73 ± 0.43 mg AG/g dry weight), ortho-diphenols (13.18 ± 1.26 mg GA/g dw), and flavonoids (6.04 ± 0.51 mg CAT/g dw) as compared to the green seeds. The higher antioxidant capacity was also displayed by the pods (ABTS•⁺ (2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical): 0.05 ± 0.00 mmol Trolox/g dw, DPPH• (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhidrazyl radical): 0.04 ± 0.00 mmol Trolox/g dw, FRAP (Ferric Reduction Antioxidant Power): 0.04 ± 0.00 mol Trolox/g dw) in contrast with the green seeds. Immature pods demonstrated the lowest crude fat content (1.74 ± 0.03%) and the highest content of crude protein (27.48 ± 1.05%) and of insoluble dietary fibre (35.63 ± 0.53%). To our knowledge, we present the first study concerning the nutritional composition of cowpea immature pod, suggesting that it has remarkable potential to be included in the development of a new functional food product for the elderly.
Supplementary Materials
The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/ECMC2022-13229/s1.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, A.A., M.R., L.F. and A.B.; methodology, C.P.; software, C.P.; validation, A.A., M.R., L.F., I.G. and A.B.; formal analysis, C.P. and I.G.; investigation, C.P. and I.G.; resources, A.A., M.R., L.F. and A.B.; data curation, I.G. and A.B.; writing—original draft preparation, C.P.; writing—review and editing, A.A., M.R., L.F. I.G., and A.B.; visualization, C.P. and I.G.; supervision, L.F., I.G. and A.B.; project administration, A.A., M.R., L.F., I.G. and A.B.; funding acquisition, A.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was funded by national funds from I&D project «SoilRec 4 +Health Soil recover for a healthy food and quality of life», co-founded by the European Regional Development Fund (through NORTE 2020 NORTE 01 0145 FEDER 000083) and by National Funds by FCT Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UIDB/ 04033 2020.
Funding
This research was funded by national funds from I&D project «SoilRec 4 +Health Soil recover for a healthy food and quality of life», co-founded by the European Regional Development Fund (through NORTE 2020 NORTE 01 0145 FEDER 000083 and by National Funds by FCT Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UIDB/ 04033 2020.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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