PURPLE ARAÇÁ, A BRAZILIAN NATIVE FRUIT AS A SOURCE OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS

Berries have received worldwide attention for their health properties. In Brazil, a native berry called purple araçá (Psidium myrtoides O. Berg) is poorly studied regarding the nutritional and bioactive compounds. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate araçá in pulp and peel for physicochemical characteristics, polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity. The fruits harvested in Paulínia (São Paulo) were cleaned, frozen, freeze-dried and then ground. An acidified alcoholic extract (methanol:HCl 0,1%, v/v) of araçá was obtained with successive maceration in order to obtain a polar extract for to be used in the anthocyanins, flavonoids, total reducing capacity, and antioxidant capacity analyses. The determinations were performed in three repetitions. The centesimal analyses were performed according to official methods of AOAC and carbohydrate was estimated by difference from 100%. The peel and pulp corresponded to 72% of the fruit weight. Total dietary fiber content was approximately 8.21 g 100 g-1 (fresh weight) of which major proportion was represented by the insoluble fraction (6.21 g 100 g-1). The caloric value of fresh araçá was calculated as approximately 48.87 kcal 100 g-1, considering 10.08 g of carbohydrates, 0.47 g of lipids and 1.08 g of proteins in this portion. Antioxidant capacity of araçá was successfully accessed by ORAC (17273 µmol TE 100 g-1) and FRAP (27959 µmol TE 100 g-1) methods, as well as the total reducing capacity (1695,68 mg GAE 100 g-1). Flavonoids and monomeric anthocyanins, compounds which are frequently related to antioxidant, antiproliferative, antimutagenic, and anti-inflammatory activities, are present in amounts of 581.76 mg catechin, and 272.70 mg cyanidin 3-glucoside in 100 g of araçá, respectively. Purple araçá could be considered an important source of bioactive compounds in a human diet, including phenolic compounds and dietary fiber.