Antioxidant and antibacterial activity and preliminary toxicity analysis of four varieties of avocado (Persea americana Mill.)

Abstract

The antioxidant and antibacterial activity and toxicity of natural products can change according to plant variety, as well as the part of the plant which is analyzed. In this study, peel, pulp and seed of four avocado varieties (Quintal, Fortuna, Margarida, and Hass) were analyzed for antioxidant and antibacterial properties and toxicity. There are few studies in the literature comparing these three first varieties. Antioxidant capacity was measured using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil), ABTS [2,2'-azino-bis- (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)], and FRAP (Ferric Reducing Ability Power) methods, along with the content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Principal component analysis was applied for antioxidant tests. Antibacterial activity against food pathogens was assessed by the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration tests. Toxicity was evaluated against Artemia salina and also by hemolytic activity. The ethanolic extract of Quintal variety peel presented the greatest antioxidant and antibacterial activity. This same extract showed no toxicity in the preliminary tests, and shows great potential for food industry application as an additive.

Persea Americana Agro-Industrial Waste Biorefinery for Sustainable High-Value-Added Products

“…The results determined that the peel showed a better bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect over the Gram-positive. However, the different ethanolic extracts also demonstrated activity against Gram-negative bacteria [109].…”

Avocado Peels and Seeds: Processing Strategies for the Development of Highly Antioxidant Bioplastic Films

“… 13 Besides, they are an important source of bioactive compounds with high antioxidant activity, which makes them highly attractive for the production of active food packaging. 15 Other uses reported in the literature include the use of ASs to produce biodiesel 16 , 17 or for the production of carbonized materials used as absorbents. 18 However, there is no information in the literature on the application of avocado byproducts in the packaging field.…”

The Odyssey of Bioactive Compounds in Avocado (Persea americana) and their Health Benefits

“…Several studies have reported that different parts of the avocado plants contain potent phenolic antioxidants such as chlorogenic-, quinic-, succinic-, pantothenic-, abscisic-, ferulic-, gallic-, sinapinic-, p -coumaric-, gentisic-, protocatechuic-, 4-hydroxybenzoic-, and benzoic- acids, quercetin, quercetin-3-glucoside, quercetin-3-rhamnoside, vanillin, p -coumaroyl-D-glucose, catechins, (−)-epicatechin, and procyanidins (Table 3) [2,28,84,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97]. Among the different parts of avocado investigated in several studies, leaf, peel, and seed extracts have shown consistently greater antioxidant capacity compared to that of the pulp [84,91,94,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104,105,106]. Due to the presence of higher catechin, epicatechin, leucoanthocyanidin, triterpenes, furoic acid, and proanthocyanidin contents, avocado seed extracts have been reported to display greater antioxidant capacity [62,74].…”