Evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of bioactive compounds and determination of proline in honeys from Pará.

Honey is a viscous food, being a complex mixture of substances, among them the main components of honey are: water, minerals, sugars, organic acids, and proteins (enzymes and amino acids). Honey has in its composition compounds that can provide antioxidant properties such as phenolic compounds. This work aimed to evaluate the nutritional composition, the antioxidant capacity of bioactive compounds and to quantify proline in honeys from Pará. Chemical (moisture, protein and ash), physicochemical (hydroxymethylfurfural, reducing and non-reducing sugars, acidity, pH and electrical conductivity) and physical (color) analysis were conducted. Phenolic compounds, flavonoids, antioxidant capacity (ABTS*+ and FRAP), and proline were also evaluated. 62.5% of Apis bee honeys were not within the moisture standards, for stingless bees, there is no official legislation. All the honeys analyzed were within the limit of the legislation in relation to the amount of HMF. High amounts of protein were found, in relation to the consulted literature. The phenolic compounds varied from 4.27 to 145.43 mg/100 g, the flavonoids varied from 2.75 to 18.76 mg/100 g, with higher values than in the literature consulted. The antioxidant capacity by ABTS*+ and FRAP methods had excellent values, being superior to the various works with honey from Brazil and the world. The proline ranged from 6.25 to 144.70 mg/kg. With these results, it was proven that amazonian honeys have antioxidant activity, but the honey harvest needs to be improved, so as not to harm the nutritional components found in its composition.

Açai pulp supplementation as a nutritional strategy to prevent oxidative damage, improve oxidative status, and modulate blood lactate of male cyclists.

PURPOSE: Açai pulp is a source of phytochemicals and has been associated with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antigenotoxic effects. This study aimed to assess the effects of açai pulp consumption on oxidative, inflammatory, and aerobic capacity markers of cyclist athletes. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A crossover, randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind study was developed with ten male cyclists (33.5 ± 4.7 years old, body mass index of 23.9 ± 1.38 kg/m2, and training load around 1875 ± 238 AU/week). The athletes consumed 400 g/day of pasteurized açai pulp (AP) or placebo (PL) for 15 days, with a 30-day wash-out period between trials. Lipid peroxidation, serum antioxidant capacity, DNA damage in peripheral blood (Comet assay), IL-6 and TNF-alpha, blood lactate concentration during effort, anaerobic threshold intensity (ATi), maximum workload reached (Wmax), rating of perceived exertion threshold (RPET), and heart rate threshold (HRT) were evaluated before and after each intervention. Data were analyzed using a linear regression model with mixed effects (p ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: Increased serum antioxidant capacity (p = 0.006) and decreased lipid peroxidation (p = 0.01) were observed in subjects after intervention with AP. Blood lactate levels during effort significantly decreased (by 29%, p = 0.025) and ATi increased (p = 0.006) after AP. No significant effect on DNA damage was attributed to AP consumption. CONCLUSION: We found notable effects of AP intervention on antioxidant status in athletes. Both the reduction in blood lactate concentration and increase in ATi during the effort suggest an overall improvement in the aerobic capacity of the cyclists, confirming that AP consumption may influence variables associated with performance in endurance athletes.