Colombian Bread and Arepa Help Reducing Cardiovascular Risk

From now on, guava"s properties will be found in foods of daily consumption. A chemists and physicians team from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia found that this fruit"s pectin helps reducing cardiovascular risk. In order to benefit of this property, they added the substance to bread and arepa (corn-based bread).

Grandmothers knew that guava is a very nutritious fruit. However, scientific studies had never been completed in order to confirm this conviction. Luz Patricia Restrepo, Blanca Laura Ortiz and Cecilia Anzola (chemist), together with Clara Perez from the Lipids and Diabetes Division at the Medicine Faculty and their students, went a step further.

"The idea emerged when we were updating the Nutrion Facts Label for the Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (institution in charge of children and family welfare). The Agriculture Ministry made an official announcement looking for highly nutritious food. We realized that guava was perfect for it", said professor Restrepo.

Even if the official Nutrition Fact Label already established the fruit"s main components, the researchers continued the biological analysis aiming for unknown values. This is how they found that guava"s pectin (a polysaccharide soluble fiber) could be a sort of health elixir.

Anzola, from the Chemical and Biochemical Study on Changes of Fresh and Processed Foods at the Chemistry Department, pointed out that they were looking for mass consumption fiber-less foods that could be improved with guava"s pectin.

Bread and arepa were perfect candidates. The researchers mixed the pectin with the dough and gave the product to a group of 70 persons from various physical constitutions expecting to verify, through medical examination, pectin"s promising properties.

The aim was to evaluate the effects of the substance on the cholesterol levels, HDL (good cholesterol), LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides in adults -divided in three groups according to their cardiovascular risk-. During 15 days, the patients consumed the pectin-fortified bread and arepa.

According to Clara Pérez, from the Medical Faculty, cholesterol levels change every 8 days. 15 days would then be a perfect time-lapse, the changes being noticeable among the tested group.

 "We divided the patients in three groups: less than 24 years old, between 35 and 45 and over 50 -each group having its particular cardiovascular characteristics-. We also took in consideration age, weight, waist circumference, dyslipidemia (a raise in lipid levels) or diabetes", said Pérez.

When comparing the initial tests with those made after two weeks of daily pectin consumption, it was established a notorious LDL reduction and, in general, a positive impact on the patients lipid profile.

Professor Restrepo explained that pectin creates a sort of film on the intestines, decreasing fat, cholesterol and glucose absorption.

 "It also has a supplementary effect: having a water absorption property, pectin induces a sensation of satiety, reducing the appetite", said the chemist.

In addition to this investigation, a guava seed (often considered as a waste) study led to phenol extraction (a natural antioxidant).

Guava pulp contains pectin. This edible part of the fruit was turned into acid with a Hydrochloric acid solution; it then was filtered before adding ethanol. At the end, a globule of pure pectin was extracted", said Luz Patricia Restrepo.

The last part of the process is to take out guava"s natural color, "can you imagine a pink arepa or pink bread" That"s why we had to improve the ethanol baths to eliminate the pigment", said the chemist.

The extracted pectin was grinded, obtaining a fine powder. It then was added into the bread and arepa dough. According to Clara Pérez, it will be great if pectin fortified corn flour could be made available everywhere.

The researchers pointed out that in order to benefit from pectin"s properties, we would be forced to consume great amounts of guava, while the pectin extract, added to bread or arepa flour, will offer the same benefits. "Of course, there is no reason to stop consuming this delicious fruit", concluded the scientist.