Enhancement of antioxidant effect of pitaya by lactic acid bacteria fermentation

Pitaya has received a great deal of consumer interest for its large amount of micronutritions. This study investigated the changes of total phenols and total flavonoids of fermented pitaya, as well as the antioxidant abilities. The results showed that fermentation could significantly increase the counts of water-soluble phenols and flavonoids. After being fermented for 24h, the DPPH free radical, hydroxyl radical and superoxide anion scavenging ability raised significantly. Reducing power of fermented pitaya also increased remarkably. Thus, fermentation could increase the antioxidant ability of pitaya, and could be a potential process for pitaya products.