Cereal-based products, which are rich in carbohydrates, are widely consumed worldwide; however, this type of food lacks other nutrients. Phenolic compounds from natural sources, such as Moringa oleifera, can be incorporated into these products to increase their nutritional and biological value. In this study, a phenolic-rich extract was obtained from M. oleifera leaf powder using a Soxhlet extractor. The extract obtained presented a total phenolic content of 79.0 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g and the ABTS and DPPH assays showed that the extract can act as an anti-oxidant agent, with IC50 values of 205.2 mg/L and 636.0 mg/L, respectively. Afterwards, fresh pasta was produced and the extract was incorporated into the pasta to improve its biological properties and extend its shelf-life. The results demonstrated that the addition of M. oleifera to the fresh pasta increased its anti-oxidant capacity and did not interfere with the cooking properties of the product. Moreover, the fortified pasta presented an increased shelf-life, since the extract conferred protection against microbial contamination for longer periods of time. Therefore, these findings showed that the incorporation of phenolic-rich extracts from natural sources (such as M. oleifera) is a feasible sustainable biotechnological approach to produce value-added cereal-based products.
Keywords: antioxidants; bioactive compounds; cereal-based products; food fortification; fresh pasta; natural products.