rojo (Capsicum por Enrichment of olive oil with carotenoids from red pepper ( Capsicum anuum L.) by enzymatic maceration

Carotenoids can be incorporated into edible vegetable oils through maceration. This improves the stability of carotenoids and the enrichment of oil, although the extraction efficiency is low. The objective of this work was to improve the process of enriching olive oil with carotenoids from red pepper ( Capsicum anuum L.) through maceration, using enzymatic hydrolysis prior to treatment. The olive was enriched with carotenoids extracted by enzymatic maceration (AOME) or direct maceration (AOMD). The stability of both oils at 8 degrees C, 25 degrees C and 45 degrees C was evaluated weekly for 6 weeks by measuring the degradation of carotenoids and the appearance of peroxides, modeling their reaction kinetics at each temperature. AOME reported a higher amount of carotenoids from the beginning (11.5 %) and throughout the study. Both oils presented the lowest rate of carotenoid degradation and peroxide formation at 8 degrees C storage (4 %), and increase in the formation of peroxides at 25 degrees C and 45 degrees C, during the 6 weeks, with a higher rate for AOMD. The peroxide index increased considerably when the samples from the two treatments kept at 8 degrees C and 25 degrees C were heated to 150 degrees C and 200 degrees C. A lower value of peroxides was present in both samples stored at 45 degrees C and subjected to heating, a phenomenon associated with the formation of peroxide degradation products. Enzymatic hydrolysis as a pretreatment improved the carotenoid extraction rates during maceration in olive oil, as well as its storage stability. The evaluated process represents an alternative for enriching oil with carotenoids as bioactive compounds, when the oil is not intended to be used at high temperatures.