DOES FREEZING STORAGE AFFECT CHEMICAL COMPONENTS, VOLATILE PROFILE AND POTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF PERSIMMON (DIOSPYROS KAKI)?

Strategies concerning novel processing and storing persimmon (Diospyros kaki) are essential to reducing postharvest losses and are in line with a circular economy. This study verified the effect of frozen storage on persimmon from an agroecological street market in Rio de Janeiro/Brazil. Persimmon was analyzed fresh and after freeze storage at -18 °C for one year regarding chemical composition, physicochemical characteristics, mineral content, antioxidant capacity (ABTS Assay), and total phenolic content (Folin Ciocalteu method). Volatile compounds were isolated, identified, and quantified by solvent extraction method followed by analysis for GC/MS and GC/FID. The effect of the cytotoxicity of persimmon (aqueous extract and autoclave aqueous extract) on breast cancer cells by reducing Alamar Blue® was also investigated. Persimmon presented 82.65-82.17; 14.68-15.50; 0.31-0.45; 1.99-1.48; 0.37-0.39 g 100g-1 of moisture, carbohydrates, ash, protein, and lipid, for fresh and frozen fruits, respectively. The ratios between total Soluble Solids (°Brix) and total titratable acidity (g malic acid 100g-1) were 48.23 and 57.84 for fresh and frozen fruits, respectively. Mineral content analysis showed that potassium was the major element (108.45-135.5 mg 100g -1). Volatile fraction profile analysis showed tetracosane, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, 2,4-dimethyl-3-hexanone, o-cymene, α-terpineol, and thymol were found only in fresh fruits. Total phenolic content and IC50(ABTS) for fresh and frozen persimmon were, respectively, 80.51 mg GAE L-1/1,394.99 μg.mL-1 and 13.19 mg GAE L-1 /19,011.29 μg.mL-1, with a significant difference (p < 0.05). The autoclave extract from fresh and frozen persimmon presented cytotoxicity effect (30-40% reduction of Alamar Blue®) on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines and suggested that this extraction method might be an effective strategy to elute bioactive substances with cytotoxic effect. Freezing storage can be indicated as a conservation system for macronutrients, mineral profile, and physical-chemical characteristics. On the other hand, it is not suitable to better preserve volatile and antioxidants compounds.