EFFECTS OF CRYOCONCENTRATION ON THE PRESERVATION OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND BIOACTIVE CHARACTERISTICS IN YERBA MATE EXTRACT (Ilex paraguariensis)

Yerba mate is a plant abundant in bioactive compounds that provides various health benefits due to its chemical properties. The aim of this study was to develop an enriched yerba mate extract using the cryoconcentration technique. Yerba mate leaves were processed, and the aqueous extract (AE) was prepared at a concentration of 30 g L-1. Then, AE was subjected to cryoconcentration in two stages. This process resulted in the following extracts: C1 (cryoconcentrated 1), CD1 (cryodiluted 1), C2 (cryoconcentrated 2), and CD2 (cryodiluted 2). Physicochemical analyses (pH, total acidity, density, total soluble solids, total solids, ashes, organic matter), instrumental color (L*, a*, b*, C* and Hº), and bioactive compounds (total polyphenol content – TPC, caffeine content - TC, antioxidant activity – DPPH, ABTS+· and FRAP) were performed. The cryoconcentration factor (CF) and process efficiency (PE) were calculated to evaluate the concentration of the extract components. The data were treated statistically, and a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to assess correlations among the analyzed parameters. The results exhibited that cryoconcentration was effective in concentrating the physicochemical and bioactive parameters of the yerba mate extract. Significant changes in color occurred throughout the cryoconcentration process. Extract C2 exhibited the highest values of TPC and TC, the values were 9,337.63 ± 5.67 mg GAE L-1 and 542.26 ± 1.06 µg L-1, respectively. FRAP assay revealed higher antioxidant activity that resulted in 48,641.86 ± 42.3 µmol L-1 Trolox for C2. The highest CF and PE were observed for the ash content (794.69 ± 218.71 and 97.25 ± 0.30, respectively). PCA explained 96.03% of data variability, while PC1 accounted for 89.73% of the total dispersion. The described results provide relevant information for the food industry, which enables future research and practical applications of cryoconcentrated yerba mate extract.