presentation of preliminary results of a project on the chemical-nutritional composition of the "horchata"

Presentación resultados de estudio químico nutricional de la  horchata

IATA researcher José Luis Navarro participated in the presentation, on Thursday, May 18, at the Palacio de Cerveró, of the preliminary results of a complete chemical-nutritional research on tiger nut and horchata (a tiger nut-based drink).

An important part of the project was carried out at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague by Josep Rubert Bassedas, with the active participation of Gaspar Pérez and José L. Navarro of IATA (CSIC) and the Faculty of Pharmacy of The University of Valencia (Jose Miguel Soriano and Jesús Blesa). Andoni Monforte (Món Orxata-ChufaMix), Cristobal Martí (Horchatería Subies) and Carmelo Balaguer (Horchateria Rin) participated in aspects related to samples and coordination. The funding has come from the Conselleria d'Educació, Cultura i Esport through a postdoctoral fellowship awarded to Josep Rubert and co-financed by Mon Orxata SL and the University of Prague.

The work, which began a year and a half ago, aimed at the comparative analysis of the artisanal and industrial horchata in order to evaluate possible differences that may arise as a result of the treatments, both enzymatic and thermal, to which the industrial horchata is subjected. A number of 43 samples of artisanal horchata from different horchaterias and 44 samples of industrial horchata from the most representative brands have been analyzed by means of high performance analysis, namely liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry detection (TripleTOF® 5600 QTOF mass spectrometer).

The most important results revolve around phospholipids and arginine. Phospholipids are a group of lipids found in the cell membranes of plants and animals, emphasizing phosphatidic acid. In fresh horchata its concentration is significantly higher than that of the industrial horchata. Phosphatidic acid has gained importance in recent years because it helps the smooth functioning of cell membranes, ensuring their permeability, which is fundamental for the normal activity of membrane proteins, including their receptors. Arginine is an important amino acid that intervenes in the formation of nitric oxide in the body, giving rise to important physiological properties such as the ability to produce vasodilation, which would contribute to improve circulation and blood pressure. The results obtained in the present work show that arginine is in a concentration five times higher in artisanal horchata compared to the concentration observed in industrial horchata.