The objective of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of extracts from various ornamental and wild edible plants commonly found in urban parks. Antioxidant activities were assessed through ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and free radical scavenging assays (DPPH and ABTS) while the total phenolic content (TPC) was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. Eight commercial samples (ginger, turmeric, rosemary, thyme, rooibos, coriander, cloves, and drumstick) were analyzed under the same conditions. Clove extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity among the commercial samples across all methods. The study further explored the pH, color characteristics, and antioxidant capacities of all the samples. The pH values of the extracts varied from slightly acidic (6.71) to alkaline (9.51), with coriander extract showing the highest pH. The color profiles ranged from green-yellowish tones in leaf extracts to brown tones in bark and pod extracts, and reddish tones in flower extracts. Notably, Bougainvillea glabra and Callistemon citrinus exhibited particularly high antioxidant activities in the FRAP and ABTS assays, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between antioxidant activity and specific color parameters, particularly at absorbance wavelengths of 490 and 550 nm. These findings underscore the potential of certain ornamental and commercial plant species to enhance the nutritional and sensory qualities of functional beverages, contributing valuable insights for the development of health-promoting products in the beverage industry.

Nowadays there is an increasing demand for healthy biscuits. The reduction in sugar and fat level, as well as the addition of bioactive compounds, is positively associated with a healthy diet. In the present work, low-fat and low-sugar biscuits were prepared with infusions (mate, coffee, and tea) or with Prosopis chilensis pod flour (PPF). Biscuits were made with maize starch and wheat flour (gluten formulations) or with gluten-free ingredients (gluten-free). The colour, texture, and the antioxidant capacity were evaluated in dough and biscuits. Among the formulations prepared with infusions, the mate dough showed the lowest firmness (1.1 N (gluten)-24.3 N (gluten-free)). However, no significant differences were found in the fracture stress of the final products ( P > 0.05). Mate gluten biscuits and PPF gluten-free biscuits showed the highest fracture strain (16.2 and 9.4%, respectively) and the lowest Young’s modulus (7.3 and 13.3 MPa, respectively) in their groups. The highest antioxidant activity was found in biscuits with mate (8.7 µmol FeSO 4 /g (gluten)-4.3 µmol FeSO 4 /g (gluten-free)). These values were three times higher than the ones found in the control biscuits (2.9 µmol FeSO 4 /g (gluten)-3.9 µmol FeSO 4 /g (gluten-free)). The present results showed that the antioxidant content in biscuits could be successfully increased with infusion addition.

Algarrobo flour is a gluten-free flour obtained by grinding the whole fruit (pods) of Prosopis chilensis. Because of its taste, this flour could be used as a sugar replacer. Besides, it can improve the protein profile, and the antioxidant and fibre content of foodstuffs. This is of special interest in gluten-free products that are generally deficient in these nutrients. In the present work a total of eleven different gluten-free biscuit formulations with Algarrobo flour and different proportions of rice flour, chickpea flour, cassava starch, and maize starch were evaluated. The effects of each ingredient were analysed and the texture, colour, total dietary fibre content, antioxidant capacity, and sensorial acceptability associated with the addition of algarrobo flour as a partial sugar replacer were studied in detail in three selected formulations. Results showed that the dietary fibre content and the antioxidant capacity increased with the addition of algarrobo flour (60 and 20%, respectively). In addition, no significant differences were found in the sensory scores of biscuits prepared with sugar or with algarrobo flour (P ≥ 0.05). It could be concluded that algarrobo flour could partially replace sugar in gluten-free biscuit formulations. Besides, its addition increases the fibre and antioxidant capacity of the product without significantly changing its optimum texture. This is a major achievement that could be the starting point for future research aimed to develop new and healthy gluten-free products.