Reclaim of the By-Products from Horchata Elaboration Process

The recovery of effluents for different uses is an interesting practice that can contribute to a better management of water resources all over the world. Tiger nuts or chufa (Cyperus esculentus) are tubers mainly used to produce horchata de chufa (tiger nuts milk), yielding a high quantity of co-products (solids and liquids). The composition of these co-products makes them suitable for other uses. The aim of this work was to study the composition, microbial quality, physicochemical properties, and antioxidant activity of the horchata drained-water. The obtained results prove that horchata drained-water could be considered a valuable source of natural antioxidants. A good correlation between total phenol content and reducing power, rancimat performance, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation of buffered egg yolk assays supports the idea that phenols may be the main contributors to the antioxidant power of horchata drained-water. However, its microbial quality is poor, so this liquid residue must be heat-treated before its addition to any food product.