Abstract
Studies on polyphenols and flavonoids in natural products reveal benefits in the prevention of multiple diseases. Proper extraction, treatment of extracts, and quantification of polyphenols and flavonoids demand attention from the scientific community in order to report more specific biological action. Total polyphenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) (measured at three different times) of ethanol, methanol and acetone extracts of Mauritia flexuosa (aguaje) and Theobroma grandiflorum (copoazú) fresh pulp, from the Colombian Amazon region, were evaluated with the purpose of focusing in the polyphenol/flavonoid proportion and its effective antioxidant activity. This objective could help to explain specific flavonoid biological action based on higher flavonoid proportion rather than higher total polyphenol content. Differences in extracting solvents resulted in statistically significant different yields; the highest TPC was observed with acetone 70% in Mauritia flexuosa and ethanol 80% for T. grandiflorum. The best flavonoid/polyphenol ratio in M. flexuosa was about 1:2.4 and 1:12.8 in T. grandiflorum and the antioxidant efficacy was proportionally higher for flavonoids extracted from T. grandiflorum. HPLC analysis revealed 54 µg/g of the flavonoid kaempferol in M. Flexuosa and 29 µg/g in T. grandiflorum. Further studies evaluating this proportionality, in seeds or peel of fruits, as well as, other specific biological activities, could help to understand the detailed flavonoid action without focusing on the high total polyphenol content.
Highlights
Polyphenol compounds, and among these flavonoids in particular, make a substantial contribution to the antioxidant activity of specific fruits [1]
Given multiple health benefits of polyphenols, it is of general interest to know the phenolic content and major phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids, found in regularly harvested and consumed fruits [7,8,9]
The most studied biological property in polyphenols is related to oxido-reducing activity
Summary
Polyphenol compounds, and among these flavonoids in particular, make a substantial contribution to the antioxidant activity of specific fruits [1]. Given multiple health benefits of polyphenols, it is of general interest to know the phenolic content and major phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids, found in regularly harvested and consumed fruits [7,8,9]. Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants in favour of the oxidants, leading to a disruption of redox signalling and control and/or molecular damage [10]. Growing investigations in this field implicate oxidative stress in the development of many diseases like cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative
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