Phytochemical composition and antioxidant potential of different varieties viz. Flor Branca, Costa Rica and Junco of green unripe acerola (Malphigia emarginata D.C.) fruits

Abstract Malpighia emarginata D.C is an important crop of Brazil and significant source of antioxidant active compounds with notable health effects. The purpose of this work was to study three varieties of acerola (Malpighia emarginata D.C) at green unripe stage of maturity from the São Francisco Valley of Northeast Brazil. The fruits were evaluated for physico-chemical composition, bioactive compounds, through spectrophotometric analysis and liquid chromatography, as well as the profile of macro and micro minerals and antioxidant capacity. The fruits presented satisfactory results in physico-chemical quality parameters. HPLC-DAD phenolic profile analysis identified kaempferol-3-glucoside (32.68 mg/100 g), p-coumaric acid (28.87 mg/100 g) and isorhamnetin (11.41 mg/100 g) as the major compounds, mainly in the variety of Flor Branca (FB). The results obtained from the profiles of sugars and organic acids were similar among the varieties. The minerals were excellent sources of the elements of K, Ca, Mg and Mn. Moreover, FB variety represents higher antioxidant capacity in ABTS·+ (8613.54 μM Trolox/g) and ORAC (2454.42 μM Trolox/g). Thus, the results show the potential to be applied for variety selection and utilization programs based on their specific nutritive characters, contributing to the development of new products.

摘要 针叶樱桃（Malpighia emarginata D.C）是巴西的重要经济作物，同时亦是一类具备显著健康功效的抗氧化活性成分的优质来源。本研究以巴西东北部圣弗朗西斯科河谷产区、处于未成熟青果期的3个针叶樱桃品种为研究对象，通过分光光度法与液相色谱法对果实的理化组成、生物活性成分进行检测，同时分析了宏量与微量矿物质谱以及抗氧化能力。果实的理化品质参数表现良好。经高效液相色谱-二极管阵列检测器（HPLC-DAD）的酚类物质谱分析，鉴定出山奈酚-3-葡萄糖苷（32.68 mg/100 g）、对香豆酸（28.87 mg/100 g）与异鼠李素（11.41 mg/100 g）为主要活性成分，其中以Flor Branca（FB）品种的含量最为突出。各针叶樱桃品种的糖类与有机酸谱结果较为相似。矿物质分析结果显示，该果实富含钾（K）、钙（Ca）、镁（Mg）以及锰（Mn）等元素。此外，FB品种的ABTS·+自由基清除能力（8613.54 μM Trolox/g）与氧自由基吸收能力（ORAC，2454.42 μM Trolox/g）均处于较高水平。综上，本研究结果表明，可依据各品种的特异性营养特性开展品种筛选与利用项目，为新型产品开发提供有力支撑。