Caffeine content, total polyphenols and antioxidant activity of the mucilage concentrate of the Coffea arabica L. species, variety “Catuai” and “Castillo”, in the province of Pastaza (Ecuador).

Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) has a gelatinous layer, called mucilage, that covers the seed and that in its transformation process is eliminated as a waste. In the province of Pastaza two varieties of the species have been cultivated, respectively the "catuai" and the "castle", therefore the present research aims to determine the amount of caffeine, the total content of polyphenols and the antioxidant activity of the concentrate mucilage of the two varieties. The caffeine content was evaluated using the UV-Vis spectrophotometer method, the total polyphenols through the Folin-Ciocalteu method and the antioxidant activity with the FRAP method. The coffee mucilage concentrate presented respectively a caffeine content of 4.87mg / 10g for the Catuai variety and 2.37mg / 10g for the Castillo variety. As for the polyphenols, values ​​of 22.87 mg / g were obtained for the Catuai variety and 21.1 mg / g for the Castillo variety, while the antioxidants of the Catuai variety presented 17.78 mg / g and the Castillo variety 17.46 mg / g. The Catuai variety has a higher content of caffeine and polyphenols and both varieties show a promising antioxidant activity. The results of the study allow recommending new studies of the C. arabica mucilage concentrates as potential ingredients of functional or cosmetic foods.