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Anthocyanins, Phenolic Acids and Antioxidant Properties of Juçara Fruits (Euterpe edulis M.) Along the On-tree Ripening Process

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Abstract

Juçara (Euterpe edulis M.) fruits are an interesting source of phenolic compounds, mainly anthocyanins, making them valuable to the food and pharmaceutical industries. Juçara fruits were harvested along the on-tree ripening process between March and June as practiced in Paraná state, Brazil and examined for their total anthocyanin content (TAC), total phenolic content (TPC), total phenolic acid (TPA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAA). Overall, TAC increased (91.52–236.19 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalent/100 g dm) whereas TPC (81.69–49.09 mg GAE/g dm) and TPA (44.27–30.95 mg/100 g dm) decreased during ripening of juçara fruits. Use of tandem mass spectrometry allowed the identification of cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside, peonidin-3-glucoside and peonidin-3-rutinoside for the first time in juçara fruits. The analysis of the phenolic acids by HPLC-MS/MS indicated the presence of gallic, protocatechuic, p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, chlorogenic, caffeic, syringic, p-coumaric, sinapinic and ferulic acids. The high antioxidant capacity using DPPH radical scavenging capacity (655.89–745.32 μmol TE/g dm) and ORAC assays (1088.10–2071.55 μmol TE/g dm) showed that juçara fruits have potential as a source of novel natural antioxidants for disease prevention and health promotion, and also as natural food additives for developing new functional food products.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in the form of a Discovery Grant and the infrastructure provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (New Opportunities Fund and Leaders Opportunities Fund). The authors also acknowledge the Doctoral Degree Sandwich Program under the Coordination for the Improvement of High Education Personnel (Capes, Brazil) for financial support, the Agricultural Research Institute of Paraná (Iapar, Paraná State, Brazil) for sample provision and the Simepar Technological Institute (Curitiba, Paraná State, Brazil) for meteorological data supply. We also thank Wan Yun (Alison) Ser (Department of Food Science, University of Manitoba) for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program in Food Engineer, Chemical Engineering Department, Paraná Federal University, 81531-980, Curitiba, PR, Brazil

    Milene Oliveira Pereira Bicudo

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Paraná Federal University, 81531-980, Curitiba, PR, Brazil

    Rosemary Hoffmann Ribani

  3. Department of Food Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 2N2

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  4. Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, Smartpark, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 2N2

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Authors
  1. Milene Oliveira Pereira Bicudo
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  2. Rosemary Hoffmann Ribani
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Correspondence to Milene Oliveira Pereira Bicudo.

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Bicudo, M.O.P., Ribani, R.H. & Beta, T. Anthocyanins, Phenolic Acids and Antioxidant Properties of Juçara Fruits (Euterpe edulis M.) Along the On-tree Ripening Process. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 69, 142–147 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-014-0406-0

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