Carotenoids profile and total polyphenols in fruits of Pereskia aculeata Miller

Abstract

Pereskia aculeata Mill. (Ora-pro-nóbis) is a native cactaceae from tropical America, whose leaves have high protein content. In Brazil it is found in all territorial extension between the states of Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul. Most studies have focused on chemical characterization of the leaves of this specie. The objective was to assess the carotenoids profile and the total polyphenols present in the fruits of P. aculeate. Carotenoids were determined by HPLC-PAD (high performance liquid chromatography -photodiode array detector), total polyphenols were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu and vanillin methods. Trans-β-carotene was the main carotenoid, followed by α-carotene, lutein and other minor carotenoids. It was found 64.9 ± 1.1 mg.100g -1 of gallic acid equivalent, 14.8 ± 0.2 mg.100g -1 of catechin equivalent. Carotenoid identification of P. aculeate fruits are presented here by the first time and indicate that these fruits can be researched as source of bioactive substances, especially antioxidant and provitamin A carotenoids. PERFIL DE CAROTENOIDES E FENÓLICOS TOTAIS EM FRUTOS DE Pereskia AculeataMILLER RESUMO -A espécie Pereskia aculeata Mill. (ora-pro-nóbis) é uma cactácea nativa da América Tropical, cujas folhas apresentam elevado teor protEico. No Brasil, é encontrada desde o Estado da Bahia até o Rio Grande do Sul. A maioria dos estudos sobre ora-pro-nóbis concentra-se na caracterização química das folhas desta espécie. O objetivo foi identificar o perfil de carotenoides e avaliar o teor de polifenóis totais em frutos de P. aculeata. Os carotenoides foram determinados por CLAE-DAD (cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência -detector de arranjo de diodos), os fenólicos totais pelos métodos de Fólin-Ciocalteou e da vanilina. O trans-β-caroteno foi o principal carotenoide, seguido pelo α-caroteno, luteína, além de outros carotenoides minoritários. Foram encontrados 64,9 ± 1,1 mg.100g -1 de ácido gálico equivalente; 14,8 ± 0,2 mg.100g -1 de catequina equivalente. A identidade dos carotenóides presentes em frutos de P. aculeata está sendo apresentada pela primeira vez e indica que estes frutos devem ser pesquisados como fontes de substâncias bioativas, especialmente de carotenóides com atividades antioxidante e pró-vitamina A. Termos para indexação: ora-pro-nóbis, β-caroteno, vitamina A, luteína.

Comprehensive Database of Carotenoid Contents in Ibero-American Foods. A Valuable Tool in the Context of Functional Foods and the Establishment of Recommended Intakes of Bioactives

“…A activity to vitamin A expressed as RAE, is equal to the sum of retinol plus 1/12 of βcarotene plus 1/24 of α-carotene plus 1/24 of β-cryptoxanthin (all in the same units, µg/100 g edible portion on fresh weight basis), with no mention to isomers or other carotenoids with possible vitamin A activity. 32 As a note in this document it is stated that the conversion factors used can be country-specific, e.g. in India the conversion factor for β-carotene is 1/8; however, in most countries 1/12 is used.…”

“…Measurement units varied according to the study (for instance, mg/kg, mg/g, mg/100 g, and μg/g). Therefore, all values were converted to μg/100 g. 32 All results present in the articles were preferentially based on fresh weights; values based on a dry basis were noted in tables presented in this work, and in the cases water content was not referred in the original articles. The levels of each carotenoid are presented as a range for each study that presented more than one value for the same food source.…”

Phytochemical profile and biological activities of 'Ora-pro-nobis' leaves (Pereskia aculeata Miller), an underexploited superfood from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

“…The majority of the papers that performed chemical evaluation contemplated the amino acids and phytosterol profiles, also focusing on its essential oil (Pinto & Scio, 2014;Pinto, Machado, et al, 2015;Souza et al, 2016;Zem, Helm, Henriques, Cabrini, & Zuffellato-Ribas, 2017). A few works have indicated that phenolic compounds and carotenoids are the major antioxidant constituents of P. aculeata leaves (Agostini-Costa, Wondraceck, Rocha, & Silva, 2012;Pinto et al, 2012;Pinto, Duque, et al, 2015), however, to our best knowledge, an advanced characterization of its phenolic constitution is lacking.…”

Effects of <i>Pereskia aculeata</i> Miller on the Biochemical Profiles and Body Composition of Wistar Rats

“…This plant, which is native to Brazil, is a scrambling shrub with numerous spiny branches and fleshy, mucilaginous leaves, which is consumed as a vegetable by people in low-income communities. This plant is non-toxic and has a high fiber and arabinogalactans content, which makes it an agriculturally and economically important food source [11]- [15]. The leaves are considered a source of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, manganese and zinc.…”