Abstract
Passiflora mollissima (Kunth) L.H. Bailey is an exotic fruit native to South America, known as taxo in Ecuador. This paper characterizes its flavonoid and carotenoid composition and antioxidant capacity and evaluates the effect of the spray-drying process on its phytochemical composition and antioxidant capacity. A total of 18 flavonoid compounds, nine proanthocyanidins and nine flavan-3-ol monomers, were identified and quantified. Glycosides of (epi)-afzelechin stood out as the most abundant flavonoid. Three carotenoids were identified, with β-carotene having the highest concentration. The DPPH· and ORAC assay methods indicated a high antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, the bioactive content showed a positive and direct correlation with antioxidant capacity. On the other hand, the spray-drying process produced a stable phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of taxo. These results demonstrate the potential applicability of microencapsulated taxo as a functional ingredient in the food industry.
Highlights
Due to their appearance and attractive organoleptic characteristics, novel and interesting fruits recognized as beneficial for human health are leading current food consumption and health-food trends [1,2]
Concerning the profile and concentration of the phenolic fraction of microencapsulated banana passion fruit, the results showed that spray-drying did not modify the phenolic profile of P. mollissima (Table 2)
Regarding the flavonoids that were slightly affected by the spray-drying process, the changes observed could be due to the conditions in which the spray-drying process was carried out. This in accordance with the results reported by Susantikarn and Donlao [31] in green tea extracts
Summary
Due to their appearance and attractive organoleptic characteristics, novel and interesting fruits recognized as beneficial for human health are leading current food consumption and health-food trends [1,2]. In the context of healthy diets and well-being, South America has a wealth of underexploited native and exotic fruits of great interest for food technology, science and industrial applications, with many nutritional and functional properties yet to be uncovered. Banana passion fruit (Passiflora mollissima (Kunth) L.H. Bailey, Figure 1), known as taxo in Ecuador, grows in the Andes region at 1800–3600 m.a.s.l. (meters above sea level) in tropical high forests with average temperatures ranging 13–16 ◦ C [3,4]. The oval shaped fruit is yellow and about. 8–15 cm long, with a thin but strong skin. The pulp is gelatinous and surrounds small black seeds [5]
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