Gustavo Araujo Pereira

Determination of free, esterified, glycosylated and insoluble-bound phenolics composition in the edible part of araticum fruit (Annona crassiflora Mart.) and its by-products by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS

Phenolics present in the free, esterified, glycosylated and insoluble-bound forms of araticum pulp, peel and seed were for the first time characterized and quantified using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Levels of total phenolics, flavonoids, condensed tannins and antioxidant activities from araticum fruit followed the order peel > pulp > seed. Overall, insoluble-bound and esterified phenolics were the dominant forms of phenolics from araticum fruit parts and the highest contributors to their antioxidant activities. Extracts were found to contain contrasting levels of phenolics that were specific to each fruit part. From 10 phenolics quantified in araticum fruit, catechin and epicatechin were the major ones from pulp and peel, whereas seed displayed caffeic acid, catechin and epicatechin as its main phenolics. Araticum fruit was found to provide a good source of phenolics, and the full exploitation of this fruit may find applications in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Carbohydrates, volatile and phenolic compounds composition, and antioxidant activity of calabura ( Muntingia calabura L.) fruit

Soluble carbohydrates, volatile and phenolic compounds from calabura fruit as well as its antioxidant activity were assessed. The low amount of fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAPs) and similar amount of glucose and fructose allow us to classify the calabura berry as low-FODMAPs. The terpenes β-Farnesene and dendrolasin identified by SPME-GC-MS were the major volatile components. UHPLC-MS/MS analysis revelled gallic acid (5325 μg/g dw) and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (171 μg/g dw) as the main phenolic compounds, followed by gentisic acid, gallocatechin, caffeic acid and protocatechuic acid. In addition, gallic acid was found mainly in esterified (2883 μg/g dw) and insoluble-bound (2272 μg/g dw) forms. Free and glycosylated forms showed however the highest antioxidant activity due to occurrence of flavonoids (0.28-27 μg/g dw) in these fractions, such as catechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, naringenin, and quercetin. These findings clearly suggest that calabura is a berry with low energy value and attractive colour and flavour that may contribute to the intake of several bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity. Furthermore, this berry have great potential for use in the food industry and as functional food.

Effects of high-intensity ultrasound process parameters on the phenolic compounds recovery from araticum peel

In this work, we investigated the effects of the nominal ultrasonic power (160-640 W) and process time (0.5-5.0 min) on the phenolic compounds recovery and antioxidant activity from araticum peel. The individual and synergistic effects of the process variables on the phenolic recovery were estimated using a full factorial experimental design. Operating at high nominal ultrasonic powers was possible to obtain high phenolic yields and antioxidant activities at short process times (≤5 min). The HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS analysis revealed that the araticum peel sample possessed 142 phytochemicals, 123 of which had not been reported in the literature for this raw material yet. The most abundant phenolic compounds recovered were epicatechin, rutin, chlorogenic acid, catechin and ferulic acid. Thus, high-intensity ultrasound technology proved to be a simple, efficient, fast and low environmental impact method for obtaining phenolic compounds from araticum peel. In addition, araticum peel showed to be a promising source bioactive natural phenolics for further applications in the food, nutraceutical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.