Published: March 01, 2011 r2011 American Chemical Society 2248 dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf1040405 | J. Agric. Food Chem. 2011, 59, 2248–2254 ARTICLE pubs.acs.org/JAFC Mango and Acerola Pulps as Antioxidant Additives in Cassava Starch Bio-based Film Carolina O. Souza,* ,† Luciana T. Silva, † Jaff R. Silva, † Jorge A. L opez, † Pricila Veiga-Santos, ‡ and Janice I. Druzian † † Faculdade de Farm acia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Bar ~ ao de Geremoabo, s/n, Ondina, CEP 40171-970, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil ‡ Universidade Federal de S ~ ao Carlos, Rodovia Jo ~ ao Leme dos Santos (SP-264), Km 110, Itinga, CEP 18052-720, Sorocaba, S ~ ao Paulo, Brazil ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of incorporating mango and acerola pulps into a biodegradable matrix as a source of polyphenols, carotenoids, and other antioxidant compounds. We also sought to evaluate the efficacy of mango and acerola pulps as antioxidants in film-forming dispersions using a response surface methodology design experiment. The bio-based films were used to pack palm oil (maintained for 45 days of storage) under accelerated oxidation conditions (63% relative humidity and 30 °C) to simulate a storage experiment. The total carotenoid, total polyphenol, and vitamin C contents of films were evaluated, while the total carotenoid, peroxide index, conjugated diene, and hexanal content of the packaged product (palm oil) were also monitored. The same analysis also evaluated palm oil packed in films without antioxidant additives (C1), palm oil packed in low-density polyethylene films (C2), and palm oil with no package (C3) as a control. Although the film- forming procedure affected the antioxidant compounds, the results indicated that antioxidants were effective additives for protecting the packaged product. A lower peroxide index (36.12%), which was significantly different from that of the control (p < 0.05), was detected in products packed in film formulations containing high concentration of additives. However, it was found that the high content of vitamin C in acerola pulp acted as a prooxidant agent, which suggests that the use of rich vitamin C pulps should be avoided as additives for films. KEYWORDS: Antioxidant, active package, bio-based film, mango, acerola 1. INTRODUCTION Packages are used to extend the storage of different products, protecting products mechanically and also providing protection from chemical and biological contamination. 1,2 In recent years, many new food packaging concepts have been introduced to satisfy consumer demands. Innovative materials, such as active packages, have been developed. These products are not only useful in their ability to prolong the storage of the product but also in acting to maintain the quality of the products while pro- tecting the packaged product. 1,3 Major active packaging techni- ques are concerned with antioxidant compounds, which act as O 2 scanvengers and prevent or delay the oxidation process, 3 and are used in a variety of food and pharmaceutical applications. Lipid oxidation is one of the main reactions causing the dete- rioration of food products and can result in off-flavors, a reduced nutritional quality of foods, and the production of certain toxic oxidative compounds. 4,5 Synthetic or natural antioxidants and chelating agents are the most effective inhibitors of lipid oxida- tion and act as free-radical scavengers or discontinue the prop- agation of oxidation chain reactions. 5,6 Synthetic antioxidants that have already been incorporated into packaging materials 7 have recently received a great deal of interest for toxicological concerns, and thus, interest in natural antioxidants has steadily increased. 4,8 Phefolic acids, terpenes, tocopherols, carotenoids, and vitamins are important natural anti- oxidants, and it has been proposed that these antioxidants could be incorporated in packages to improve the oxidation stability of lipids and to prolong the storage of the products. 9,10 The chemical structures of these compounds allow them to receive electrons from reactive species, scavenge free radicals, or inter- rupt the initial and propagation steps of the oxidation process. 11,12 Although many materials with antioxidant activity have been tested, few studies have used natural and edible compounds and even fewer have evaluated how these compounds could be incorporated into bio-based films. 13 Phytochemical studies with mango (Mangifera indica L.) and acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) showed significant amounts of secondary metabolites that are a common component of the human diet. These bioactive constituents, including carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and vitamin C (VC), are present in both fruits 14,15 and industrialized pulps. 16 These components provide antioxidant protection because of their capacity to scavenge free radicals. Considering the properties of these natural and edible com- pounds, this work aimed to investigate the efficacy and viability of mango and acerola pulps as antioxidant additives to be incorpo- rated into bio-based cassava starch used to pack palm oil, analyzing its storage stability using some parameters [e.g., per- oxide index (PI), conjugated diene (CD), and total carotenoid (TC) content]. The incorporation of these derivatives on films produced with cassava starch has a great economic importance Received: May 9, 2010 Accepted: February 2, 2011 Revised: January 30, 2011