• 2020-06-10
• Babatunde O.M, Ibukun O.E
• Volume 2, Issue 1

Abstract

There is an increased interest in the biological activity of red beetroot (Beta vulgaris) and its potential utility as a health promoting and disease preventing functional food. However, beetroot juice was known to be rich in oxalate which can also be a precursor to kidney stone formation. Hence, beetroot juice and its deoxalated form were investigated in this work to determine the effect of deoxalation as well as the contributory effect of the oxalate in the juice. In-vitro antioxidant assays (as typified by reducing potential, DPPH radical scavenging, Hydroxyl radical scavenging and total antioxidant capacities) as well as total phenolic, total flavonoid and lipid peroxidation inhibition were evaluated. The whole beetroot was shown to be the best result in enhancing the antioxidant status. As it was evident that deoxalation caused a decrease in the antioxidant potential of beetroot. These results indicated that oxalate, despite being the anti-nutrient in beetrrot, have a synergistic activity it confers on the total antioxidant activity of beetroot. It is thus presented that deoxalated beetroot juice, as the safest form of edible beetroot, a potential nutraceutic resource and may be used as a functional juice.