Nutrient and phytochemical analyses of processed noni puree

Abstract

The recent approval of noni fruit puree as a novel food ingredient, as well as the growing popularity of this fruit in health beverages, will greatly increase its use in foodstuffs, and consequently, its consumption among the general population. As such, an understanding of the nutritional profile of processed noni fruit puree is important for food technologists, nutritionists, as well as consumers. Therefore, the proximate nutritional, vitamin, mineral, and amino acid contents were determined. The phytochemical properties were evaluated, as well as an assessment made on the safety and potential efficacy of the major phytochemicals present in the puree. Processed noni fruit puree is a potential dietary source of vitamin C, vitamin A, niacin, manganese, and selenium. Vitamin C is the major nutrient present, in terms of concentration. The major phytochemicals in the puree are iridoids, especially deacetylasperulosidic acid, which were present in higher concentrations than vitamin C. The iridoids in noni did not display any oral toxicity or genotoxicity, but did possess potential anti-genotoxic activity. These findings suggest that deacetylasperulosidic acid may play an important role in the biological activities of noni fruit juice that have been observed in vitro, in vivo, and in human clinical trials.