Phenolic Profiles and Antioxidant Activity of Litchi (Litchi Chinensis Sonn.) Fruit Pericarp from Different Commercially Available Cultivars

Wu Li,Ming-Wei Zhang,Yuan-Yuan Deng,Hong Liang,Xiao-Jun Tang,Yan Zhang,Zhen-Cheng Wei,Rui-Fen Zhang

doi:10.3390/molecules171214954

Wu Li, Ming-Wei Zhang + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules171214954

Copy DOI

Abstract

Litchi fruit pericarp (LFP) contains significant amounts of phenolics which have been found to exhibit diverse biological activities. The purpose of this work was to determine the varietal differences in phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity of LFP from nine commercially available cultivars. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents ranged from 9.39 to 30.16 mg gallic acid equivalents/g fresh weight (FW) and from 7.12 to 23.46 mg catechin equivalents/g FW, respectively. The total anthocyanin contents ranged from 1.77 to 20.94 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents/100 g FW. Three anthocyanins, including cyanidin-3-rutinoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, malvidin-3-glucoside, were detected, and cyanidin-3-rutinoside was the predominant constituent which contributes from 68.8% to 100% to total anthocyanins, The total procyanidin contents ranged from 4.35 to 11.82 mg epicatechin equivalents/g FW. Procyanidin B2, epicatechin, A-type procyanidin trimer, and procyanidin A2 were detected in all nine litchi varieties. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity activities and DPPH radical-scavenging activities ranged from 430.49 to 1752.30 μmol TE/100 g FW and from 4.70 to 11.82 mg/g (IC50), respectively. These results indicate that there are significant differences in phytochemical profiles and antioxidant activity among the tested varieties. Knowing the phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity of LFP of different varieties gives the insights into its potential application to promote health.

Highlights

IntroductionAccumulating epidemiological studies have demonstrated that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables can reduce risk of chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases [2,3,4]
Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds widely found in the fruits, vegetables, cereals and other plants, which contribute to the color, flavor and defend a plant from ultraviolet rays or pathogens [1].Accumulating epidemiological studies have demonstrated that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables can reduce risk of chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases [2,3,4]
The present results clearly showed that there was a great diversity in total phenolic, flavonoid, anthocyanin, and procyanidin contents

Summary

Introduction

Accumulating epidemiological studies have demonstrated that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables can reduce risk of chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases [2,3,4]. The protection of fruits and vegetables against these diseases has been attributed in part to their significant amounts of phenolics, which have potent antioxidant activity. Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a tropical and subtropical fruit native to China, and widely cultivated throughout the World. It is well received by consumers because of its delicious taste and possible health benefits, and its processing production has steadily increased in late decades. The phenolics of LFP have been confirmed to have antioxidant, anticancer [8], immunomodulatory [9]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion