Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of mixed apple and ginger pomace

Introduction: Juice industries are responsible for generating 4 million ton of apple pomace per year, whereas ginger by-product is generated after the extraction of active ingredients in herbal medicine and beverage industries. Both these by-products are usually used as animal feed or disposed in landfills or incinerated. Using them in new food formulations could avoid food waste and undesirable impacts on the environment. Phenolic compounds constitute a phytochemical group that may promote human health. These bioactive compounds are known for their antioxidative properties and associated with preventing cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer and type 2 diabetes. Investigating their presence in the mixed apple and ginger pomace is the starting point to explore the potential of this by-product to bring health benefits when added to a new product. Objectives: To explore the antioxidant activity of a new by-product, mixed apple and ginger pomace, to evaluate its potential bioactivity. To explore the total polyphenol content of mixed apple and ginger pomace to evaluate the potential content of phenolic compounds. Conclusions: TPC and DPPH results for the mixed pomace are higher than values found in the literature for apple pomace, which may reflect the contribution of the ginger in the pomace. ORAC result for the mixed pomace is in the range given in the literature for apple pomace. ABTS result for the mixed pomace is lower than the value in literature for apple pomace. However, the ABTS value depends on the way the ABTS cation is generated during the analysis.