Evaluation of Drying Techniques on the Phytochemical Content

and Antioxidant Capacities of Eggplant (Solanum melongena)

ROSALY V. MANAOIS1,*, JOHN EDWARD I. ZAPATER1, JAN11 A. DELA CRUZ2,
MANUEL JOSE C. REGALADO2
*
ORCID No.: 0000-0003-3191-5396
1
Rice Chemistry and Food Science Division, 2Rice Engineering and Mechanization Division,
Philippine Rice Research Institute, Maligaya, Science City of Muoz, Nueva Ecija 3119
*Tel/Fax No.: (044) 456-0285, -0258 local 260
*Email: rv.manaois@philrice.gov.ph

I. Introduction

Plant foods are known rich sources of phytochemicals, or secondary metabolites that
provide consumers many health benefits, including slowing down the aging process,
strengthening the immune system, and preventing chronic diseases. Such functions are
primarily due to antioxidant properties. Antioxidants, which include most phytochemicals,
are compounds which can delay or prevent the oxidation of substrates caused by reactive
oxygen species (ROS) (Proestos et al., 2013). ROS are unstable and highly reactive
molecules that attack and cause oxidative damage to DNA, enzymes and proteins, disrupting
normal cell activities and consequently causing various degenerative diseases (Isla et al.,
2009; Nascimento et al., 2014).

Accurate determination of antioxidant levels in plants depends on the dehydration

treatment prior to analysis. Conventionally, samples for antioxidant analysis are subjected to
hot air oven drying (OD). Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is one the most commonly
cultivated crop in rice-based farm areas in the country (PhilRice, unpublished data) and is
also among the most commonly consumed vegetables by Filipinos (FNRI-DOST, 2015).
Hence, this work assessed the antioxidant capacity and phytochemical content of purple
skinned eggplant dried through different techniques.

II. Objective

To evaluate three different dehydration techniques, namely hot-air oven drying (OD),
freeze drying (FD), and far infrared drying (FIR), in the preparation of eggplant for
phytochemical and antioxidant analyses.

III. Methodology

Purple skinned eggplant, harvested during the 2017 dry season the Science City of
Muoz, Nuev Ecija was procured as sample and subjected to three drying regimes: OD at
40C, FD at -108C, and FIR at 100C. After dehydration, the following were measured: the
total phenolic content (TPC) using the Folin-Ciocalteu method (Singleton et al., 1999), the
total anthocyanin content (TAC) using the colorimetric assay (Abdel Aal and Hucl, 2009),and
chlorogenic acid content (CGA) using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. The
antioxidant capacities of the samples were measured using the 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl
(DPPH) (Brand-Williams et al., 1995) and 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic

1
acid)-diammonium salt (ABTS) (Pellegrini et al., 2003, Moore et al., 2005) radical
scavenging activity assays.

IV. Results

Results showed that the shape and color of the sample were preserved by FD only, as
anticipated. In terms of the time required to dry the samples, OD took the longest at 4 d to
remove at least 91% moisture from the sample, the moisture content of eggplant determined
during preliminary tests. Dehydration time using the freeze dryer was shorter than OD, but
the former required overnight freezing prior to the actual drying process, resulting in a total
preparation time of 24 hr. Drying using FIR was achieved after only 1.65 hr.

The three techniques yielded samples with varied phytochemical content and
antioxidant capacities (Table 1). Except for DPPH radical scavenging activity, FD recorded
the lowest values, while FIR-dried eggplant consistently displayed the highest. Interferences
from anthocyanins and other compounds that formed during the high-temperature drying
treatment could have influenced the DPPH colorimetric readings, hence the observed
discrepancy. The values of FIR sample were: TPC,14212 mg gallic acid
equivalents(GAE)/100g fresh weight sample; TAC, 9,251933 mg delphinidin-3-rutinoside
equivalents(D3R Eq)/100g; CGA,12614 mg/100g; and ABTS, 52563mol Trolox
equivalents(TEq)/100g).

Table 1. Phytochemical content and antioxidant capacities of eggplant samples dehydrated

using different techniques.1
Antioxidant Capacity
Phytochemical Content
(Trolox equivalents (TEq)
(per 100g fresh weight sample (fwb))
Treatment2 mol/100gsample, fwb)
TPC TAC CGA
DPPH6 ABTS7
(mg GAE)3 (g D3R Eq)4 (mg)5
T1: OD 1281b 9,592702a 962b 99025a 4616b
T2: FD 834c 6,846222b 795c 73218b 32415c
T3: FIR 14212a 9,251933a 12614a 57750c 52563a
1
MeanSD. Means with the same letter within a column are not significantly different at
p<0.05.
2
OD oven-drying; FD freeze-drying; FIR far infrared drying
3
TPC total phenolic content; GAE gallic acid equivalents
4
TAC total anthocyanin content; D3R Eq delphinidin-3-rutinoside equivalents
5
CGA chlorogenic acid
6
DPPH 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay
7
ABTS 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)-diammonium salt cation radical
scavenging assay

V. Conclusions

Based on the results of the phytochemical and antioxidant analyses and considering
the time needed to obtain the samples among other advantages, it is therefore concluded that

2
FIR could be the choice as a preparatory step in the antioxidant analysis of eggplant and may
be further explored for use in other food samples.

Keywords: anthocyanin, antioxidant capacity, far infrared drying, eggplant, total phenolic
content

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