Title : Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of exotic fruits from Cerrado
Abstract:
The excess of free radicals in the human body can result in pathological processes. Because of its chemical composition that presents bioactive compounds, among them polyphenols, fruits can be considered potential antioxidants against free radicals. The biome Cerrado (Brazilian savannah) presents exotic fruits with high concentration of bioactive compounds, due to their stressful conditions. Then, the fruits Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) and mulberry (Morus sp.) grown in this biome were studied about their phenolic composition and antioxidant activity. The fruits were collected in the municipality of Luziânia, Goiás, Brazil. The total polyphenols (TP) contents and the scavenging capacity of the DPPH radical were determined. Pitanga presented TP of ~ 900 mg/100g of edible portion while mulberry showed ~ 3500 mg/100g. Radical capture capacity test showed a value for the pitanga of ~ 450 μM TEAC/100 g and for mulberry of ~ 1900 μM TEAC/100 g. High levels of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were found. Thus, we verified the fruits pitanga and mulberry from Cerrado of Goiás present high content of phenolic compounds and high antioxidant activity. The results of this work present the first description of phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of these fruits grown in the Cerrado of Goiás.
