Evaluation of the Antioxidant Activity of a Fermented Alcoholic Beverage, Rum and Mezcal Made from Tejocote (Crataegus mexicana)

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of three alcoholic beverages derived from the native Mexican fruit, tejocote (Crataegus mexicana). Antioxidant activity was assessed by measuring the inhibition of lipid peroxidation using the thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) technique, the neutralization of free radicals with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and the reduction of the 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical. The results for lipid oxidation inhibition percentage using the TBARS method were: fermented beverage 72%, rum 42%, and mezcal 47% inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Regarding antioxidant activity, rum showed 97 ± 0.30% DPPH radical scavenging and 89 ± 0.23% ABTS radical reduction. Mezcal demonstrated 88 ± 0.24% DPPH radical scavenging and 92 ± 0.25% ABTS radical reduction. The antioxidant activity of the three alcoholic beverages derived from tejocote (Crataegus mexicana) is preserved over time and remains stable following both alcoholic fermentation (fermented beverage) and maceration processes (rum and mezcal). These findings demonstrate that the tejocote fruit exhibits high stability in its antioxidant metabolites.