Abstract
Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) H.B.K.) Mc Vaugh) is a shrub native to the Amazon region and its fruits are promising sources of various bioactive compounds such as vitamin C, phenolic compounds and carotenoids. Camu-camu fruit is considered the greatest natural source of vitamin C worldwide and also good source of dietary fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, and various kinds of amino acids such as serine, valine and leucine. Therefore, the presence of different bioactive compounds in camu-camu fruits could be used to retard or prevent various chronic non-communicable diseases such as dyslipidemia, obesity, cardiovascular and cancer. The objective of this study was to analyze pulp green and ripe camu-camu to see differences in its attributes vs. maturation stage. Ripe camu-camu pulp had a great antioxidant capacity, 2671 μmol TE/g and unripe 2563 μmol TE/g fresh weight. It is also very rich in vitamin C (1230 mg/100 g in unripe, and 1150 mg/100 g in ripened fruits), calcium (13.2 mg/100 g to ripe and 12.1 mg/100 g to unripe fresh weight), dietary fiber (2.50 g/100 g to unripe and 2.40 mg/100 g to ripe). Camu-camu is also an excellent source of other bioactive compounds, such as minerals and different phenolic compounds. In conclusion, camu-camu fruit can be used to introduce bioactive compounds into food products and to delay or prevent many human diseases. Key words: Camu-camu, Vitamin C, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, antioxidant capacity.
Highlights
Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia (H.B.K.) McVaugh) is an exotic tropical fruit native to the Amazon region and it is one of the few Amazon fruits that have been explored for commercial purposes
The contents antioxidante capacity in camu-camu fruit at two maturity stages are presented in Table 1 and extremely high antioxidant activity, 2671 μmol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g for ripe and 2563 for unripe
Justi et al (2000) observed that the fruit grown in Paraná presented lower content of vitamin C (1400 mg/100 g in the pulp) than the one from the Amazon region (2400 to 3000 mg/100 g in the pulp)
Summary
Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia (H.B.K.) McVaugh) is an exotic tropical fruit native to the Amazon region and it is one of the few Amazon fruits that have been explored for commercial purposes. The camu-camu fruit belongs to the group of the so-called super fruits and it is known by its outstanding content of ascorbic acid and healthrelevant flavonoids (Borges et al, 2014; Akter et al, 2011). Consumption of fruits has been increased because of their high content of bioactive compounds. The most common bioactive compounds are vitamin C, polyphenols, β-carotene and lycopene. There has been a global trend toward the use of natural phytochemicals as antioxidants and functional ingredients, which are present in natural resources such as vegetables, fruits, oil seeds and herbs (Kaur and Kapoor, 2001; Aguiar and Souza, 2014). Natural antioxidants from plant extracts have attracted considerable attention due to their safety
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