PHENOLIC COMPOSITION OF CASTANHOLA PULP FLOUR

The castanhola (Terminalia catappa Linn) fruit is an exotic species that contains peel, pulp, and almond as edible fractions. Pulps stand out for their pleasant taste and appreciable nutritional content (carbohydrates and proteins). Furthermore, there is a lack of research regarding bioactive compounds’ identification and quantification, such as phenolic compounds. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the phenolic profile of castanhola pulp flour (CPF). The CPF production consisted of de-pulping and drying the fruits in a forced air circulation oven at 60 ºC/8 h, followed by grinding in a crusher, sieving, portioning in vacuum-packed polypropylene bags, and storing frozen until use. The methanolic extract of CPF was obtained by a methanol solution (70%) in ultrasound for 60 minutes. The total phenolic content (TPC) and phenolic compounds profile of CPF applied the Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric method and liquid chromatography coupled to a diode arrangement detector (HPLC-DAD), respectively. The TPC in the CPF extract was 110.35 ± 1.14 mg GAE per 100 g. Overall, 21 phenolic compounds were identified and quantified in this food matrix, including five phenolic acids, six flavanols, five flavonols, one anthocyanin, two stilbenes, and two flavanones . As the most abundant group in the CPF extracts, the content of flavonols was 61.46 ± 1.88 mg 100 gˉ1, followed by flavanols (22.34 ± 0.48 mg 100 gˉ1) and phenolic acids (16.09 ± 0.34 mg 100 gˉ1). Phenolic compounds are bioactive compounds present in plants that have antioxidant activity. In addition, the different groups of phenolic compounds promote other types of bioactivities, including anti-inflammatory (phenolic acids, flavonols, and anthocyanins), anticancer (phenolic acids and anthocyanins), hypoglycemic (phenolic acids) properties. Thus, the TPC of CPF suggests a promising scenario of its application in the food industry to improve the nutritional value of foods and transform them into antioxidants sources for the human diet.