Phenolic profiling, organic acids and sugars composition of feijoa (Acca sellowiana (O. Berg) Burret) and uvaia (Eugenia pyriformis Cambess) from the southern Brazilian highlands / Perfil fenólico, composição de ácidos orgânicos e de açúcares de feijoa (Acca sellowiana (O. Berg) Burret) e uvaia (Eugenia pyriformis Cambess) do planalto sul brasileiro

Brazil is a large country with high biodiversity in its different regions. However, species of native fruits widely reported in the southern Brazil have not been properly explored so far, remaining underutilized by the food industry. This study evaluated the polyphenolic profile, as well as the composition of organic acids and sugars of the pulps of the feijoa, and the uvaia from southern brazilian highlands. The uvaia pulp showed the highest total polyphenol content and the highest antioxidant capacity by the methods used. The polyphenol (+)-catechin (6.54 mg 100g-1) was the major phenolic compound in uvaia pulp, which has not yet been reported in the literature for fruits of other regions. In addition, the feijoa pulp stood out for the presence of (-)-epicatechin (18.29 mg 100g-1). The pulps of native fruits in this study only quantified values for citric and malic acids. Malic acid (553.00 mg 100g-1) was the main acid in the uvaia pulp, and citric acid (455.60 mg 100g-1) was the main acid in the feijoa pulp. It is possible to note that the feijoa pulp showed the highest total sugar content (11.14 g 100g-1) and was the only pulp that contained sucrose. The uvaia pulp, conversely, showed fructose (3.10 g 100g-1) as the main sugar. The results obtained in this study contributed to the valuation and conservation of the species investigated, representing a promising alternative for the use of these native fruits in the development of new products.

O Brasil é um grande país e com elevada biodiversidade em suas diferentes regiões. Entretanto, espécies de frutas nativas amplamente encontradas no sul do Brasil ainda não foram devidamente exploradas, permanecendo desconhecidas e subutilizadas pela indústria de alimentos. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o perfil fenólico, bem como a composição de ácidos orgânicos e de açúcares de polpas de feijoa (Acca sellowiana) e de uvaia (Eugenia pyriformis) provenientes do planalto sul brasileiro. A polpa de uvaia apresentou o maior teor de polifenóis totais e a maior capacidade antioxidante pelos métodos utilizados. A (+)-catequina (6.54 mg 100g-1) foi o principal composto fenólico da polpa da uvaia, o que ainda não foi relatado na literatura para frutas de outras regiões. Além disso, a polpa da feijoa se destacou pela presença de (-)-epicatequina (18.29 mg 100g-1). Dentre os ácidos orgânicos avaliados, as polpas de frutas nativas apresentaram valores para os ácidos cítrico e málico, sendo o ácido málico (553.00 mg 100g-1) o principal na polpa de uvaia, e o cítrico (455.60 mg 100g-1) na polpa de feijoa. Em relação aos açúcares, a polpa da feijoa apresentou o maior teor de açúcar total (11.14 g 100g-1) e foi a única polpa que continha sacarose. Já a polpa da uvaia apresentou a frutose (3.10 g 100g-1) como principal açúcar. Os resultados obtidos neste estudo contribuem para a valorização e conservação das espécies investigadas, representando uma alternativa promissora para a utilização dessas frutas nativas no desenvolvimento de novos produtos.

Feijoa [Acca sellowiana (Berg) Burret] accessions characterization and discrimination by chemometrics.

BACKGROUND: Feijoa [Acca sellowiana (Berg) Burret] is a Brazilian native fruit with few commercial-level plantations and high agroindustrial potential. A genotype evaluation experiment was conducted from 1996 onward, aiming to obtain fruits based on the agronomical parameters; however, the selection based on chemical composition had not been evaluated with respect to developing a new cultivar. Accordingly, the present study aimed to discriminate seven accessions of feijoa in terms of nutritional composition, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity using multivariate analysis (principal component analysis and multivariate contrast), targeting the potential production of a new cultivar with better nutritional value and high antioxidant capacity. RESULTS: Feijoa husk presented high content of ashes, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity compared to feijoa pulp. However, only feijoa pulp was selected to multivariate analysis because it is the fruit edible part. Data variability was explained in 78% and the feijoa pulp accessions were discriminated into four groups related to their characteristics. The accession 5 discrimination can be explained by the high content of ashes, carbohydrates, soluble solids, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. Accession 6 was also discriminated by the high content of total acidity, pH and proteins, as well as a low content of soluble solids. CONCLUSION: Feijoa accessions may be indicated for increasing plant selection via hybridization with the other accessions, aiming to produce new cultivars with better nutritional composition and antioxidant capacity. For example, accession 5 is the most suited fruit for human consumption and is a potential plant with respect to becoming a new cultivar. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Volatilome study of the feijoa fruit [Acca sellowiana (O. Berg) Burret.] with headspace solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

Feijoa is a subtropical bush of the Myrtaceae family. It has unique fruit with organoleptic properties that make it an exotic fruit. Head space solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with a 65 µm divinylbenzene/polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/PDMS) fiber and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS) was used to study the volatile fraction of feijoa fruit cultured in Caldas, Colombia. The profile analyzed included 134 volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 127 VOCs were classified based on the functional group using the spectral and structural networks correlation analysis. Methyl, ethyl and (Z)-3-hexenyl benzoate with 50% of the volatile composition, were the main compounds. Biosynthesis of the volatilome of feijoa fruit was associated with five main metabolic pathways. This study represents the first analysis of feijoa fruit commercialized in the region. This is an innovator view in elucidation of metabolic pathways that represent the biochemistry of the aroma of this fruit.