TY - JOUR
T1 - Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the main fruits consumed in the western coastal region of Ecuador as a source of health-promoting compounds
AU - Guevara, Mabel
AU - Tejera, Eduardo
AU - Granda-Albuja, María G.
AU - Iturralde, Gabriel
AU - Chisaguano-Tonato, Maribel
AU - Granda-Albuja, Silvana
AU - Jaramillo-Vivanco, Tatiana
AU - Giampieri, Francesca
AU - Battino, Maurizio
AU - Alvarez-Suarez, José M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - We studied 19 different tropical fruits traditionally consumed in the coastal lowlands of Ecuador to determine their chemical composition and antioxidant activity. Carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.) had the highest total phenolic, flavonoid, and total antioxidant capacity values, whereas guava fruits (Psidium guajava 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 (Annona muricata L.), whereas Ecuadorian ivory palm (Phytelephas aequatorialis 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 (Passiflora quadrangularis L.) had the highest values of glucose, and red mombin (Spondias mombin L.) had the largest values for fructose and guava for sucrose. Chili pepper (Capsicum chinense 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.
AB - We studied 19 different tropical fruits traditionally consumed in the coastal lowlands of Ecuador to determine their chemical composition and antioxidant activity. Carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.) had the highest total phenolic, flavonoid, and total antioxidant capacity values, whereas guava fruits (Psidium guajava 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 (Annona muricata L.), whereas Ecuadorian ivory palm (Phytelephas aequatorialis 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 (Passiflora quadrangularis L.) had the highest values of glucose, and red mombin (Spondias mombin L.) had the largest values for fructose and guava for sucrose. Chili pepper (Capsicum chinense 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.
KW - Antioxidant capacity
KW - Bioactive compounds
KW - Ecuador
KW - Nutraceuticals
KW - Tropical fruits
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85073167704&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/antiox8090387
DO - 10.3390/antiox8090387
M3 - Artículo
AN - SCOPUS:85073167704
SN - 2076-3921
VL - 8
JO - Antioxidants
JF - Antioxidants
IS - 9
M1 - 8090387
ER -