Vaccinium meridonale Sw or Andean berry has antioxidant properties due to its high content of polyphenols, as anthocyanins and phenolic acids. Polyphenols have been associated with the prevention of chronic and cardiovascular diseases. In the last years, alcoholic drinks have been studied for their composition and health benefits. By this, the aim of this research was to obtain three types of alcoholic beverages from Andean berry, which have different treatments. The methods used to obtain the beverages were macerated fruit machine (MAC), preheating of the fruit (CAL) and by combining both of them (MIX). The antioxidant activity was evaluated by FRAP, DPPH, ORAC methods and anthocyanins and total phenols were measured. Finally, the antiproliferative effect was evaluated on a colon cancer cell line (SW480). Findings suggest that ethanol content of final products is not altered by treatment of unfermented Andean berry juice (must). The alcohol concentrations for MAC, CAL and MIX drinks were 90±1.7, 89±3.6 and 94±4.1 g/L, respectively. The results showed that CAL and MIX methods favor the extraction of secondary metabolites and consequently increase the antioxidant activity. The fermentation process affected the antioxidant power and total phenolic content in beverages CAL and MIX. However, no significant changes in these parameters were observed in the MAC drink. These beverages can eventually reduce the cancer cell viability between 15.1 (20 µg/L) and 37.2% (200 µg/mL). Thus, it was concluded that MIX treatment has higher antioxidant power and it could reduce the cancer cell viability.

The endemic Chilean edible plant Gunnera tinctoria (Nalca) is highly appreciated in the south of Chile by the small farmers. Nevertheless, no background exists about his secondary metabolites. In the present study, in the leaf from G. tinctoria was investigated the content of bioactive compounds like coumaric acid, ascorbic acid and total phenols; the antioxidant capacity was evaluated by 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-suslfonic acid (ABTS), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) methods reducing sugars were measured. Finally, the biological activity was evaluated against Cladophialophora and Cryptococcus laurentii. The results suggest that the most abundant constituent in the extract were catechin (1344.97 mg/100 g dry weight) and epicatechin (1429.28 mg/100g dry weight), and was confirmed and quantified by high performance liquid chromatografy (HPLC-PDA); while the ORAC methodology showed a high antioxidant capacity (192000.0±5.91 umol Trolox Eq/100 g dry weight). On the other hand, the extract had a fungicide effect against both microorganism assayed, inhibiting the growth of Cladophialophora´s mold-and the yeast Cryptococcus laurentii. This is the first report of antioxidant capacity, bioactive compounds and biological activity of G. tinctoria, and these findings suggest that an extract prepared from the Nalca leaf may be a promising source of antioxidant and bioactive compounds and as a research object by being an antifungal and therapeutic alternative in development.

Vaccium meridionale Swartz, commonly Andean Berry, has a high content of several phytochemicals, such as anthocyanins, phenolic acids, and other flavonoids. However, in spite of its antioxidant capacity, there is little information about its anticarcinogenic properties. This study evaluated the antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activity of Andean Berry Juice (ABJ) on human colon adenocarcinoma SW480 cells. The antiproliferative activity of ABJ was evaluated on SW480 cells using the Sulphorodamine B assay.The effect on cell viability, cytotoxicity and activation of caspase-3 was analyzed using The ApoTox-Glo™ Triplex Assay. Specific apoptotic biomarkers cleaved PARP, total Bcl-2-associated death promote (BAD), phosphorylated BAD, total p53, and phosphorylated p53 were also analyzed. To determine the intracellular redox-state, the Glutathione Assay Kit and 2′-7′-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) were used, respectively. The antiproliferative assay showed a IC50 value of 8% v/v ABJ, the caspase 3 activity was increased in time-dependent manner in SW480 treated cells, the proapoptotic proteins (cleaved caspase 3, cleaved PARP, P53 and total BAD) were increased by 1.6 to 2.0 fold. In addition, the ABJ-treated SW480 cells increased significantly the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), parallel with reduction in the intracellular content of glutathione (GSH) and consequently a decrease of GSH/ oxidized glutathione (GSSG) ratio. In conclusion, the ABJ was able to inhibit SW480 cells proliferation involving apoptotic mechanisms through the perturbation of intracellular oxidative state.

Mango is one of the tropical fruits of greater production and consumption in the world, and a rich source of bioactive compounds, with various functional properties such as antioxidant activity. In Colombia, mango's market is very broad and diverse. However, there are very few studies that determined the content of bioactive secondary metabolites. The objective of this study was to evaluated the content of different metabolites like Mangiferin, carotenoids, tannins, and the antioxidant capacity by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) methodology of six cultivars from the Colombian Caribbean region, with total carotenoid values ranging from 24.67 to 196.15 mg of β-carotene/100 g dry pulp; 84.30 to 161.49 mg Catequine eq./100 g dry pulp for the content of condensed tannins, and 91.80 to 259.23 mg/100 g dry pulp for mangiferin content. The ORAC methodology showed important antioxidant activity results, such as the Chancleta variety with the highest value (2163.78 μmol Trolox/100 g dry pulp). In conclusion, the evaluated mango varieties had promising results as functional food of high nutraceutical value, being Chancleta, Criollo and Jobo varieties, the fruits with highest content in bioactive compounds that expressed the best antioxidant activity.

The genus Swietenia (Meliaceae) has a wide variety of secondary metabolites with reported antioxidant activity, such as flavonoids and limonoids. In the present study, the antioxidant capacity, along with the phenol and flavonoid contents of the leaf extracts of three species of this genus: Swietenia mahagoni, Swietenia macrophylla, and Swietenia humilis were evaluated. The antioxidant activity was determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) methods. The results showed that the three species had significant antioxidant activity and substantial contents of phenolic compounds and flavonoids. The species S. macrophylla was the most effective, and compounds with recognized antioxidant capability were detected by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Catechin was the most abundant constituent in the active fractions, and was confirmed and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

This chapter reviews the physical, chemical and biological characterization of propolis from Colombia. The botanical origin and chemical profile of propolis from South America and Colombia are described. The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity of propolis are discussed.

Antioxidants are used to retard oxidative processes and improve the sensory and nutraceutical quality of cooking oils. Isoespintanol, a monophenol isolated from Oxandra cf. xylopioides, has shown a greater free radical scavenger ability than thymol (biosynthetic analog). Isoespintanol antioxidant capacity was evaluated and compared to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Cytotoxicity, thermal stability and effect on olein stability studies were performed. The results revealed that Olein oxidation time was reduced 17.2 and 4.2% in the presence of Isoespintanol and BHT, respectively. Thermogravimetric curves indicated higher thermal resistance for Isoespintanol than for BHT. Finally, cytotoxicity tests for Isoespintanol against murine macrophages revealed no effect on cell viability, indicating their possible use as a safe food additive.