Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) in Food Products: Evaluation of the Residual Anti-radical Activity of Polyphenol Compounds and N-acetylcystein

Background: The composition of polyphenolic compounds in various parts of the Rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) has been studied in detail and published. A number of these compounds have sufficient antiradical activity (ARA) to create functional foods based on extracts from this plant that are preventive against free-radical pathologies in humans. Part of substances with antiradical activity (e.g., vitamins, polyphenol components) are destroyed during the technological processing of food raw materials, and the values of ARA drop in the finished food product concerning the initial values (before and after technical processing) are not fully evaluated.Objective: The object of the study is to study the thermal stability of polyphenol components possessing ARA (dried at 60°C and 150°C) and evaluate their residual ARA in the finished food products, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), as one of the known antiradical, was used as a reference substance.Methods: Spectrophotometric method was used to evaluate the change of ARA in prepared foods. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used as an additional method to evaluate the difference in the chemical composition of polyphenol components.Results: The residual ARA in the finished products (for caramel and bakery products) was ≈ 23.9% for rapidly extractable substances, for polyphenol compounds ≈ 46.1%, and for amino acids and easily hydrolyzable substances ≈ 34.5%.Conclusion: Rosebay willowherb extract and N-acetylcysteine are recommended for increasing the ARA (between 1.6-4.9 times) of foods with low ARA (confectionery, bread, or other heavily processed foods) and for diets and diets preventive of free-radical pathologies by adding polyphenolic plant components and cysteine derivatives.