Optimization and In Vitro Digestion of a Guava (Psidium guajava), Mamey (Pouteria sapota) and Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) Functional Beverage.

Guava and mamey are phenolic- and carotenoid-rich fruits with potential health benefits, but are minimally used as ingredients in functional beverages. The objectives of the present work are to optimize the content of guava and mamey pulps and a stevia solution in the formulation of a functional beverage with high content of bioactive compounds and sensory acceptability using a mixture design analysis, and to analyze its composition after in vitro digestion. The optimized formulation (17.77 and 19.23 g of guava and mamey pulps, respectively; 1% stevia solution) yielded a beverage with 418.21 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 mL and 0.20 mg ß-carotene/100 mL, and an antioxidant capacity of 213.58, 78.90 and 234.03 mg Trolox equivalents (TE)/100 mL using three methodologies. The mathematical model developed was significant (p < 0.05), according to R2 values between 0.70 and 0.75. α- and ß-carotene were quantified during the oral phase of in vitro digestion. Gallic, p-coumaric, ferulic and chlorogenic acids were also identified. The beverage had a general acceptability of 6.72. We conclude that the mathematical model developed was a good predictor of the experimental data and that the optimized beverage contained high bioactive concentrations (phenolics and carotenoids) and was well-accepted by potential consumers.

Lesser-Consumed Tropical Fruits and Their by-Products: Phytochemical Content and Their Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Potential.

Açaí, lychee, mamey, passion fruit and jackfruit are some lesser-consumed tropical fruits due to their low commercial production. In 2018, approximately 6.8 million tons of these fruits were harvested, representing about 6.35% of the total world production of tropical fruits. The present work reviews the nutritional content, profile of bioactive compounds, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity of these fruits and their by-products, and their ability to modulate oxidative stress due to the content of phenolic compounds, carotenoids and dietary fiber. Açaí pulp is an excellent source of anthocyanins (587 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents/100 g dry weight, dw), mamey pulp is rich in carotenoids (36.12 mg ß-carotene/100 g fresh weight, fw), passion fruit peel is rich in dietary fiber (61.16 g/100 dw). At the same time, jackfruit contains unique compounds such as moracin C, artocarpesin, norartocarpetin and oxyresveratrol. These molecules play an important role in the regulation of inflammation via activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (including p38, ERK and JNK) and nuclear factor κB pathways. The properties of the bioactive compounds found in these fruits make them a good source for use as food ingredients for nutritional purposes or alternative therapies. Research is needed to confirm their health benefits that can increase their marketability, which can benefit the primary producers, processing industries (particularly smaller ones) and the final consumer, while an integral use of their by-products will allow their incorporation into the circular bioeconomy.

Avocado fruit and by-products as potential sources of bioactive compounds.

The increased demand for avocado, and therefore production and consumption, generate large quantities of by-products such as seeds, peel, and defatted pulp, which account for approximately 30% of fruit weight, and which are commonly discarded and wasted. The present review focuses on various compounds present in avocado fruit and its by-products, with particular interest to those that can be potentially used in different industrial forms, such as nutraceuticals, to add to or to formulate functional foods, among other uses. Main molecular families of bioactive compounds present in avocado include phenolic compounds (such as hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids, flavonoids and proanthocyanins), acetogenins, phytosterols, carotenoids and alkaloids. Types, contents, and possible functions of these bioactive compounds are described from a chemical, biological, and functional approach. The use of avocado and its by-products requires using processing methods that allow highest yield with the least amount of unusable residues, while also preserving the integrity of bioactive compounds of interest. Avocado cultivar, fruit development, ripening stage, and processing methods are some of the main factors that influence the type and amount of extractable molecules. The phytochemical diversity of avocado fruit and its by-products make them potential sources of nutraceutical compounds, from which functional foods can be obtained, as well as other applications in food, health, pigment, and material sectors, among others.