Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of the Main Fruits Consumed in the Western Coastal Region of Ecuador as a Source of Health-Promoting Compounds

• Published in: Antioxidants Vol. 8; no. 9; p. 387
• Main Authors: Guevara, Mabel, Tejera, Eduardo, Granda-Albuja, María G, Iturralde, Gabriel, Chisaguano-Tonato, Maribel, Granda-Albuja, Silvana, Jaramillo-Vivanco, Tatiana, Giampieri, Francesca, Battino, Maurizio, Alvarez-Suarez, José M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 10.09.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Acids; Annona muricata; Anthocyanins; antioxidant capacity; Antioxidants; Ascorbic acid; Averrhoa carambola; bioactive compounds; Calibration; Capsicum chinense; Carotenoids; Chemical composition; Citric acid; Coastal zone; Content analysis; Ecuador; Flavonoids; Fruits; Glucose; Lactic acid; nutraceuticals; Organic acids; Oxalic acid; Passiflora quadrangularis; Phenolic compounds; Phytelephas aequatorialis; Psidium guajava; Sensors; Spondias mombin; Sucrose; tropical fruits; Vitamin C; β-Carotene; Ecuador; United States > US; Ecuador; bioactive compounds; antioxidant capacity; nutraceuticals; tropical fruits
• ISSN: 2076-3921; 2076-3921
• DOI: 10.3390/antiox8090387

We studied 19 different tropical fruits traditionally consumed in the coastal lowlands of Ecuador to determine their chemical composition and antioxidant activity. Carambola ( L.) had the highest total phenolic, flavonoid, and total antioxidant capacity values, whereas guava fruits ( L.) had the highest vitamin C values. The main organic acids identified were lactic, citric, and acetic acids, and the highest amount of lactic acid was found in soursop fruits ( L.), whereas Ecuadorian ivory palm ( Spruce) and guava fruits had the highest acetic acid content. Guava also had the highest citric acid content; the highest concentration of oxalic acid was found in carambola. In terms of sugar content, giant granadilla ( L.) had the highest values of glucose, and red mombin ( L.) had the largest values for fructose and guava for sucrose. Chili pepper ( Jacq) proved to be the main source of carotenoids, lutein, and β-carotene, anthocyanins, and vitamin C. The results here increase our knowledge regarding the composition of the main fruits consumed on the west coast of Ecuador to facilitate recommendations as potential sources of health-promoting compounds.