ANTHOCYANINS EXTRACTED FROM RAMBUTAN (NEPHELIUM LAPPACEUM L.) PERICARP TISSUES AS POTENTIAL NATURAL ANTIOXIDANTS

• Published in: Journal of food biochemistry Vol. 35; no. 5; pp. 1461 - 1467
• Main Authors: SUN, JIAN, PENG, HONGXIANG, SU, WEIQIANG, YAO, JINYAN, LONG, XING, WANG, JUBING
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.10.2011
• ISSN: 0145-8884; 1745-4514
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-4514.2010.00467.x

ABSTRACT In the present study, anthocyanins were extracted from rambutan pericarp tissue (RPT) with 80% ethanol and 1% acetic acid. The crude extracts were chromatographically purified using a silica gel column and an Amberlite XAD‐7 resin column. After purification, the total anthocyanin content in the extracts was about 181.3 mg/100 g of fresh RPT. The extracts were stable under low pH conditions (pH 1 and 3). However, the extracts of rambutan anthocyanins (RAcy) degraded at higher temperature. Further, assays of the reducing power, the activity against lipid peroxidation and the ability to scavenge 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide anion and hydroxyl radicals showed that the RAcy extracts possessed antioxidant activity, indicating that RPT is a good source of natural antioxidants. It can be utilized as health‐beneficial compounds rather than just be discarded as agricultural waste. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Anthocyanins possess high antioxidant activity. A large number of anthocyanins accumulate in rambutan pericarp tissue (RPT), which is a good source of natural antioxidants. However, RPT is usually discarded as waste during consuming rambutan fruit. This causes environmental contamination and resource dissipation. Through the assay of antioxidant activity of rambutan anthocyanins, RPT has been found to be useful. It can be utilized to extract health‐beneficial bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins, and has potential economic benefit to the rambutan industry.