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. 2023 Mar 9;28(6):2526.
doi: 10.3390/molecules28062526.

Incorporation of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract in Yoghurts to Mitigate Children's Malnutrition in Developing Countries

Sandra M Gomes  1   2 , Anabela Leitão  3 , Arminda Alves  1   2 , Lúcia Santos  1   2
Affiliations

Incorporation of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract in Yoghurts to Mitigate Children's Malnutrition in Developing Countries

Sandra M Gomes et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Moringa oleifera, which is rich in bioactive compounds, has numerous biological activities and is a powerful source of antioxidants and nutrients. Therefore, M. oleifera can be incorporated into food to mitigate children's malnutrition. In this work, the bioactive compounds were extracted from M. oleifera leaf powder by ultrasound-assisted solid-liquid extraction. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and the phenolic composition of the extract were evaluated. The extract presented a total phenolic content of 54.5 ± 16.8 mg gallic acid equivalents/g and IC50 values of 133.4 ± 12.3 mg/L for DPPH and 60.0 ± 9.9 mg/L for ABTS. Catechin, chlorogenic acid, and epicatechin were the main phenolics identified by HPLC-DAD. The obtained extract and M. oleifera leaf powder were incorporated into yoghurts and their physicochemical and biological properties were studied. The incorporation of M. oleifera did not impair the yoghurts' stability over eight weeks when compared to both negative and positive controls. The extract presented higher stability regarding syneresis but lower stability regarding TPC compared to the powder. Also, the fortified yoghurts presented higher antioxidant properties than the negative control. These findings highlight the potential use of M. oleifera powder and extract as natural additives to produce fortified foods that can be used in the mitigation of malnutrition.

Keywords: M. oleifera; antioxidant activity; bioactive compounds; functional foods; yoghurt.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structure of a phenolic compound (A) and of the phenolics commonly identified in M. oleifera leaves (B).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Moringa oleifera properties useful to food fortification.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Yoghurt formulations appearance after production. NC—yoghurt with no additives (negative control); PC—yoghurt with sorbic acid (positive control); ME—yoghurt with 1 g/L of M. oleifera extract; ME2—yoghurt with 2 g/L of M. oleifera extract; MP—yoghurt with 2.9 g/L of M. oleifera leaf powder.
Figure 4
Figure 4
pH variation of the yoghurts throughout the period of the study. The analysis was performed in different timepoints: t0—after production; t1—two weeks after production; t2—four weeks after production; and t3—eight weeks after production. NC—yoghurt with no additives (negative control); PC—yoghurt with sorbic acid (positive control); ME—yoghurt with 1 g/L of M. oleifera extract; ME2—yoghurt with 2 g/L of M. oleifera extract; MP—yoghurt with 2.9 g/L of M. oleifera leaf powder. The results are expressed as means ± standard deviations of 3 independent measurements obtained from the same sample. Different lowercase letters (a–c) represent statistically different values (p < 0.05) for the same timepoint. Different capital letters (A–D) represent statistically different values (p < 0.05) for the same yoghurt.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Viscosity variation of the yoghurts in function of the shear rate. The analysis was performed after production, t0 (A) and eight weeks after production, t3 (B). NC—yoghurt with no additives (negative control); PC—yoghurt with sorbic acid (positive control); ME—yoghurt with 1 g/L of M. oleifera extract; ME2—yoghurt with 2 g/L of M. oleifera extract; MP—yoghurt with 2.9 g/L of M. oleifera leaf powder.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Viscosity variation of the yoghurts as a function of the temperature, after production (t0). NC—yoghurt with no additives (negative control); PC—yoghurt with sorbic acid (positive control); ME—yoghurt with 1 g/L of M. oleifera extract; ME2—yoghurt with 2 g/L of M. oleifera extract; MP—yoghurt with 2.9 g/L of M. oleifera leaf powder.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Antioxidant capacity of the yoghurts obtained for DPPH (A) and ABTS (B) throughout the period of the study. The analysis was performed in different timepoints: t0—after production; t1—two weeks after production; t2—four weeks after production; and t3—eight weeks after production. NC—yoghurt with no additives (negative control); PC—yoghurt with sorbic acid (positive control); ME—yoghurt with 1 g/L of M. oleifera extract; ME2—yoghurt with 2 g/L of M. oleifera extract; MP—yoghurt with 2.9 g/L of M. oleifera leaf powder. The results are expressed as means ± standard deviations of 3 independent measurements obtained from the same sample. Different lowercase letters (a–c) represent statistically different values (p < 0.05) for the same timepoint. Different capital letters (A–C) represent statistically different values (p < 0.05) for the same yoghurt.
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