Study of jambolan pulp bioactive compounds

Abstract

Jambolan fruit is small and the taste, although a little astringent, is pleasant to the palate, especially when ripe; the color presents great visual impact, but with no characteristic aroma. It is an excellent source of antioxidants, thus could be included in the ranking of fruits with excellent nutraceutical potential. These natural compounds have aroused interest, due to their nutritional and therapeutic effects, due to their antioxidant action. The objective of this work was to characterize the jambolan fruit as to the bioactive compounds present in its pulp. Analyzes of total phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, tannins and, antioxidant capacity were carried out by the DPPH free radical scavenging method. The jambolan presented total phenolic compounds content of 309.03 mg GAE 100 mL-1 of pulp; anthocyanins of 220.87 mg L-1 of pulp, tannins of 16.82 mg TA 100 mL-1 of pulp, EC50 of 245.61 mg L-1 of pulp, and 96.03% of free radical sequestration. Jambolan is a fruit that has high antioxidant capacity and its processing in the form of jelly, sweets and beverages would be a way to add value to the fruit and provide a food with nutraceutical properties for the consumers.