Abstract
Jua (juá in Portuguese) is an underexplored fruit from Brazil’s northeast. This fruit is rich in antioxidant substances. However, there is a dearth of information about jua’s bioactive potential. The present study evaluated two extraction methods (continuous agitation and ultrasound-assisted extraction—UAE) and employed three different solvents (water, ethanol, and acetone) to efficiently recover soluble phenolic compounds. Aqueous extracts obtained by UAE showed the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and antiradical activity. Besides being an eco-friendly procedure, extraction and/or solubility in an aqueous medium is also important for food application. Ellagic acids were the predominant phenolics (80%) found in aqueous jua pulp extract obtained by UAE, as determined by HPLC, while its TPC was 405.8 gallic acid equivalent per gram of fruit. This extract also exhibited a higher scavenging activity towards peroxyl radicals when compared to that of several other fruits from the literature, including grape, strawberry, cranberry, and walnuts, which are known references in terms of antioxidants. This is the first report that demonstrates jua pulp’s potential as an alternative source of ellagic acid and other phenolic acids and flavonoids. Therefore, the outcome of this study provides new information that can be useful for functional food and nutraceutical industries.
Highlights
The juazeiro tree (Ziziphus joazeiro M.), which belongs to the family Rhamnaceae, grows in the Brazilian northeast and is characterized for thriving under adverse climatic conditions encountered in the caatinga desert, namely hot and dry winter as well as cold and rainy summer
Aqueous extracts obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction showed the highest efficiency in the recovery of soluble phenolics, as supported by their total phenolic content, which may be attributed to the cavitation phenomenon promoted by the ultrasound
The High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis of jua pulp extracts showed that it was mainly composed of phenolic acids, ranging from 91% to 94%, depending on the extraction solvent
Summary
The juazeiro tree (Ziziphus joazeiro M.), which belongs to the family Rhamnaceae, grows in the Brazilian northeast and is characterized for thriving under adverse climatic conditions encountered in the caatinga desert, namely hot and dry winter as well as cold and rainy summer. Parts of the tree, such as the leaves, are used in folk medicine to treat respiratory conditions, such as asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis, as well as other ailments (e.g., headache, fever, skin rash) [1]. The plant bears small round-shaped fruits, known as jua, possessing a yellow color, sweet taste, and a seed in its core (Figure 1). Used by the local population, scientific data on jua’s chemical composition is scarce. Evidence points out that the fruit is highly concentrated in bioactive compounds, including vitamin C and phenolic compounds [1,2]
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