Beyond Color: Chemical Diversity and Technological Potential of Pigmented Jabuticaba and Pitanga Fractions for Food Valorization

Pigmented fractions from Brazilian fruits are promising side streams for food valorization, but visual intensity alone does not reveal their chemical or technological performance. This study compared jabuticaba peel and red and black pitanga pulp/peel fractions through total extractives, water activity (aw), 168-h hygroscopicity, total phenolics, DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and ORAC assays, together with LC–ESI–IT3D–MS/MS profiling. To contextualize the three matrices within a broader plant-residue portfolio, seven descriptors (phenolics, four antioxidant responses, extractives, and hygroscopicity) were autoscaled and evaluated by exploratory principal component analysis (PCA) across 21 plant matrices. Jabuticaba peel showed the strongest bioactive profile, with 68.38 mg GAE/g dry biomass of total phenolics, 583.3 µmol TE/g in ABTS, 195.4 µmol TE/g in DPPH, 244.2 µmol TE/g in FRAP, and 806.2 µmol TE/g in ORAC. Red and black pitanga showed lower but distinct responses: black pitanga exceeded red pitanga in phenolics (12.34 vs. 9.02 mg GAE/g), DPPH (75.9 vs. 62.1 µmol TE/g), and FRAP (24.7 vs. 13.5 µmol TE/g), whereas ABTS was slightly higher in red pitanga (103.4 vs. 96.7 µmol TE/g) and ORAC was similar (~60 µmol TE/g). Total extractives were high in all matrices (45.1–51.1 g/100 g dry basis). Despite low aw (0.386–0.400), 168-h hygroscopicity reached 19.1 g/100 g powder in jabuticaba and about 24.0 g/100 g in both pitangas, indicating a relevant moisture-management constraint for dry ingredient development. PCA explained 77.8% of total variance (PC1 57.2%; PC2 20.6%), placing jabuticaba peel at the extreme of the bioactivity-related dimension, while both pitanga fractions were more strongly associated with the extractability–hygroscopicity dimension. MS/MS supported anthocyanin-related chemistry: a nominal m/z 449→287 transition, consistent with a cyanidin-O-hexoside, was observed in black pitanga and in a merged spectrum containing jabuticaba peel. A shared nominal m/z 463 feature yielding ions around m/z 316/317 was compatible with a myricetin-rhamnoside-type flavonol. These findings show that similarly pigmented fruit fractions represent chemically and technologically distinct resources, supporting matrix-specific strategies for natural-colorant and antioxidant ingredient development.

Acknowledgments: CNPq (PIBIC / PIBITI – 2026 and 400122/2025-1), FAPESP (2025/11374-6) and PIDA/PRPI/USP 1602025/01.