Antioxidant capacity related to bioactive compounds from different varieties of orange juice

Citrus fruits and juices are sources of biologically active compounds that have beneficial effects. In this scenario, orange juice has been considered one of the best sources of vitamin C and bioactive compounds in the diet. This fact increases their demand for consumers looking for functional foods in order to compose a healthy diet. Moreover, the diversity of varieties in citrus orchards is relevant for its quality and productivity, which allows the industry to extend the processing time of oranges for juice production and also avoids the concentration of juice supply in a few months due to the crop. To evaluate the antioxidant capacity, the amount of ascorbic acid and total phenolic compounds of juices from four different varieties of orange juice: Moro, Pera-Rio, Cara-Cara and Baia. The Moro variety presented lower ascorbic acid content (25 mg / 100mL), while the others presented statistically equal concentrations around 31 mg / 100mL. The levels of phenolic compounds ranged from 33 to 75 mg of gallic acid / 100 mL of juice, being higher in the Moro variety. In addition, the Moro variety had the highest antioxidant power (ABTS - 543 TEAC µmol / 100mL and DPPH - 256 µmol / 100mL). Moro juice contains less vitamin C compared to the other varieties analyzed, however, it has higher antioxidant capacity, probably due to higher concentrations of anthocyanins, which is the substance responsible for the red pigment of this variety. Moreover, these results are relevant, since most of the research found in the literature is focused on Pera-Rio variety, however, there are other that are as promising as the Moro variety.