Capacidad antioxidante y antimicrobiana de tubérculos andinos (Tropaeolum tuberosum y Ullucus tuberosus)

Andean tubers formed part of the diet of native populations and are considered as foods of high nutritional quality, howe-ver today its use has waned. This study proposes to evalua-te functional characteristics (antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity) of two tubers traditionally consumed in Colombia, cubio (Tropaeolum tuberosum) and ulluco (Ullucus tubero-sus). For this were collected stems, leaves and tuber of cubio and ulluco, were dried up to 38°C for 90 hours, and extracts were made with ethanol 50% v/v. In the extracts was measu-red the antioxidant capacity by DPPH and ABTS techniques and the inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus fermentum, and Candida utilis, using the technique of discs. Found higher antioxidant capacity in all parts of the plant in both tubers, however, which showed greater activity are leaves and stems. The antimicrobial capacity, the cubio had a bacteriostatic effect on C. utilis, while the ulluco had an effect on E. coli. Due to the above, these two tubers have potential for the extraction of antioxidant compounds, anti-biotics, thus allowing establish alternatives of use for tubers and by-products (leaves and stems).