UBE or purple yam, a functional food ingredient to make a perfect halo-halo, is often regarded by ordinary Pinoys as simple dessert. But do you know that this lowly local ube contains antioxidant similar to vitamin E?
The latest findings by researchers composed of Djanna F. Cornago, Rowena Grace O. Rumbaoa and Inacrist M. Geronimo at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City showed ube contains significant amounts of phenolic which is similar to alpha-tocopherol or vitamin E.
Researchers studied five varieties of Philippine ube – Daking Kimabajo, Rapang-rapang, Sampero, Highland Tugui and Shiket.
According to the researchers, the phenolic compound in ube depends on its color, the darker the purple, the higher phenolic it has. Phenolic is secondary plant metabolites associated with color, nutritional and antioxidant properties of food.
So, is the phenolic of ube similar to the commercially bought vitamin E? Comparing the two based on the antioxidant activity, the purple yam exudes higher antioxidant than the one in capsule. The antioxidant activity includes radical scavenging, electron donation and metal chelation.
“The results showed higher radical scavenging activity of the samples than that of the commercial antioxidant. It suggests that yam are more potent scavengers of free radicals. Further, the yam sample extracts also exhibited better chelating capacity. This means yam has the potential to stabilize the oxidized form of metal ions that generate free radicals,” said the researchers.
With the high antioxidant activity of locally produced ube and tugui varieties, the researchers concluded that these local tubers may serve as source of natural antioxidants and as a possible food supplement and is nutraceutical commercially feasible. The study was announced by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) of the Department of Science and Technology.
Source: Journal News
