Bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacities of 18 non-traditional tropical fruits from Brazil

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 121; no. 4; pp. 996 - 1002
• Main Authors: Rufino, Maria do Socorro M., Alves, Ricardo E., de Brito, Edy S., Pérez-Jiménez, Jara, Saura-Calixto, Fulgencio, Mancini-Filho, Jorge
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15.08.2010; [Amsterdam]: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: ABTS; acerolas; Antioxidants; bioactive properties; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; DPPH; equipment performance; food analysis; Food industries; FRAP; free radical scavengers; Fruit and vegetable industries; fruit composition; fruit quality; functional foods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Malpighia emarginata; Myrciaria dubia; phenolic compounds; Phenolics; tropical and subtropical fruits; Tropical fruits; β-Carotene bleaching; Brazil; South America; America; Antioxidants; DPPH; Tropical fruits; β-Carotene bleaching; FRAP; Phenolics; ABTS; Carotene; Antioxidant; Tropical fruit; Bleaching; Pigments; Phenols; Carotenoid
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.01.037

The bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacities of polyphenolic extracts of 18 fresh and dry native non-traditional fruits from Brazil were determined using ABTS, DDPH, FRAP and β-carotene bleaching methods. The study provides an adaptation of these methods, along with an evaluation of the compounds related to antioxidant potential. The results show promising perspectives for the exploitation of non-traditional tropical fruit species with considerable levels of nutrients and antioxidant capacity. Although evaluation methods and results reported have not yet been sufficiently standardised, making comparisons difficult, our data add valuable information to current knowledge of the nutritional properties of tropical fruits, such as the considerable antioxidant capacity found for acerola – Malpighia emarginata and camu-camu – Myrciaria dubia (ABTS, DPPH and FRAP) and for puçá-preto – Mouriri pusa (all methods).