CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY IN JABUTICABA (PLINIA JABOTICABA) PEEL EXTRACT

Jabuticaba (Plinia jaboticaba) is a native Brazilian fruit belonging to the Myrtaceae family and widely distributed in the Atlantic Forest. Its peel is rich in phenolic compounds, including phenolic acids and anthocyanins, which have been associated with antioxidant properties and may support the development of functional and sustainable ingredients for food and pharmaceutical applications. Therefore, this study aimed to obtain and characterize a jabuticaba peel extract (JPE), focusing on its phenolic and anthocyanin contents and antioxidant capacity, for future application in cellular and animal models of prostate cancer. The extract was obtained using a hydroethanolic solution through two successive extractions in an ultrasonic bath for 30 min. The resulting material was filtered and concentrated by rotary evaporation. Total phenolic compounds, monomeric anthocyanins, and antioxidant capacity were evaluated. Antioxidant capacity was assessed using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays. Major anthocyanins were also identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD). JPE showed a total phenolic content of 73.53 mg GAE/g and a monomeric anthocyanin content of 1,364.68 mg C3G/100 g of fruit. Antioxidant capacity reached 386.12 µmol TE/g of sample by FRAP, 3,073.8 µmol TE/g by ABTS, and 761 µmol TE/g by ORAC. HPLC-DAD analysis identified cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and delphinidin-3-O-glucoside as major anthocyanins in the extract, at concentrations of 239.8 mg/100 g and 13.9 mg/100 g of dry extract, respectively. These findings indicate that JPE contains relevant amounts of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins and exhibits antioxidant capacity across complementary analytical methods. The chromatographic analysis further characterized the anthocyanin profile of the extract, providing additional information to the determination of total monomeric anthocyanins. Overall, the chemical and antioxidant characterization of JPE supports its subsequent investigation in cellular and animal models of prostate cancer.

Acknowledgments: This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) -Finance Code 001, and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Processes 2025/11061-8.