Influence of the Maturity Stage on the Phytochemical Composition and the Antioxidant Activity of Four Andean Blackberry Cultivars (Rubus glaucus Benth) from Ecuador.

Iván Samaniego,Beatriz Brito,Tissa Kannangara,Wilman Carrillo,Ana Cabrera,Wilma Llerena,Ignacio Angós,Rubén Vilcacundo,William Viera

doi:10.3390/plants9081027

Abstract

Andean blackberries (Rubus glaucus Benth) are fruits rich in phytocomponents with high antioxidant activity. In this work, the changes in the total polyphenol content (TPC), the total flavonoid content (TFC), and the total anthocyanin content (TAC) of four blackberry varieties at three maturity stages (E1-25%, E2-50%, and E3-100%) were measured. The antioxidant activity (AA) was evaluated using the 2,2’azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazolin 6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods. TPC and TFC content decreased with the increase in the maturity stage. The blackberry Brazos cultivar presented TPC values of 51.26, 38.16, and 31.59 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight (DW) at E1, E2, and E3, respectively. The TAC and soluble solids increased with the increase in the maturity stage of the fruits. The Andimora variety at E3 presented a high TPC content, and the Colombiana variety presented a high TFC content. The blackberry Colombiana cultivar presented TAC values of 1.40, 2.95, and 12.26 mg cy-3-glu/100g DW at E1, E2, and E3, respectively. The blackberry Colombiana cultivar presented a high AA value at 1278.63 µmol TE/g DW according to the ABTS method and 1284.55 µmol TE/g DW according to the FRAP method. The TPC and TFC showed a high correlation with the AA according to the ABTS and the FRAP methods. The Pearson correlation between the TFC and AA/ABTS has a value of r = 0.92. The TFC and AA/FRAP present a value of r = 0.94.

Highlights

Fruits, in addition to their nutritional components, have phytocomponents that have biological properties and can exert a beneficial effect on certain systems in the human body
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the ripeness state of the fruits on the contents of Total Polyphenol Content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total anthocyanin content (TAC) in four blackberry cultivars, to establish the antioxidant activity at the different states of maturity for each cultivar
The results show that, during the ripening of the fruit, the antioxidant activity (AA) decreased in the four blackberry cultivars

Summary

Introduction

In addition to their nutritional components, have phytocomponents that have biological properties and can exert a beneficial effect on certain systems in the human body. Plants 2020, 9, 1027 be an important factor in preventing cardiovascular disease and some cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases. The antioxidant activity is one of the biological activities of the phytocomponents of fruits most studied [1,2,3,4,5]. Natural antioxidants are compounds that can be found in food and can prevent the oxidation of other molecules. From phytochemical extractions and analysis of the phenolic profiles in fruits, it has been determined that the concentration of phenolic compounds varies depending on genetics (genus, species, cultivar, and genotype), environmental factors, and the state of maturity [10,11]. The genetic factor is a factor that influences this characteristic since the main propagation method of blackberry plants is by sexual seeds, which implies genetic segregation [12]

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