Evaluation of antioxidant capacity and L-ascorbic acid content in Brazilian tropical fruits acerola (Malpighia emarginata), mangaba (Harconia speciosa), siriguela (Spondias purpurea) and umbu (Spondias tuberosa)

• Published in: Planta Medica
• Main Authors: Ramalho, SA, Gualberto, NC, Oliveira, GB, Gomes, ED, Miranda, RM, Narain, N
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: 05.08.2011
• ISSN: 0032-0943; 1439-0221
• DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1282958

Lately in Brazil there is an appreciate increase in the consumption of non-traditional tropical fruits. However, very little information is available on the presence of bioactive compounds and antioxidant properties in these fruits. Some locally grown tropical fruits such as acerola ( Malpighia emarginata DC.), mangaba ( Harconia speciosa Gomez), siriguela ( Spondias purpurea L.) and umbu ( Spondias tuberosa Arruda) were analyzed for their antioxidant capacity and L-ascorbic acid content. Antioxidant capacity was measured by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) standard and L-ascorbic acid content was determined by ultra-fast liquid chromatography using a Shimadzu™, UFLC-20A chromatograph with a reversed-phase octadecylsilane column XR-ODS™, and 0.025M of a dihydrogen potassium phosphate solution as the mobile phase. Antioxidant capacity, expressed as concentration of antioxidant required to reduce the original amount of free radicals by 50% and values expressed as g of pulp per g of DPPH, was 7,257.6 for acerola; 15,163.9 for the mangaba; 9,145.3 for the siriguela and 14,100.4 for the umbu fruit pulp. Ascorbic acid was not detected in siriguela pulp, and its content (in mg per 100g of pulp) was 1,719.63 in acerola; 22.62 in mangaba and 19.53 in umbu. These results indicate the nutritional and therapeutic potential of these tropical fruits for their antioxidants properties. Among the fruits evaluated, the decreasing order of antioxidant activity was ranked as mangaba followed by umbu, siriguela and acerola fruits. Keywords: Bioactivity, bioactive compounds, food phenolics Acknowledgement: We thank the INCT/CNPq (National Council for the Development of Science & Technology, Brazil) for the financial support received while the fourth and fifth co-authors also thank CAPES for fellowships