Multivariate Evalutaion of Physicochemical Properties of Functional Vegetable Powders

Abstract

This study focuses on the development and characterization of functional vegetable powders obtained from freeze-dried red and purple vegetables. Due to their high content of bioactive compounds such as phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, vegetables like black carrot, red cabbage, red beetroot, and waste from fermented black carrot have attracted increasing attention as potential functional food ingredients. In this research, selected vegetables were freeze-dried, ground into powder form, and analyzed for their bioactive properties. Total phenolic content ranged from 16,012.02 to 44,001.09 mg GAE/kg, with the highest values observed in red cabbage (44,001.09 mg GAE/kg) and black carrot (40,460.11 mg GAE/kg). Antioxidant activity, determined by the DPPH assay, ranged from 22.88% to 51.84% inhibition, with black carrot (51.84%) and red cabbage (51.20%) showing the strongest activity. Total monomeric anthocyanin content ranged from 54.27 to 1,873.20 mg Cy3G/100 g, with the highest level detected in red cabbage samples. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate differences and establish relationships between chemical composition and functional properties. Overall, the findings demonstrate that freeze-dried vegetable powders are promising natural sources of bioactive compounds and can be used to develop functional food formulations. The study also highlights the potential of valorizing vegetable-based materials, including waste-derived sources, to enhance sustainability and nutritional quality.