Fruits of wild and semi‐domesticated Diospyros tree species have contrasting phenological, metabolic, and antioxidant activity profiles

Abstract

BACKGROUND In contrast to commercial Diospyros species, Mesoamerican fruit‐producing species are scarcely known, particularly wild species that might harbor desirable traits suitable for breeding. Thus, metabolomic, chemical, and antioxidant profiles of fruits harvested from cultivated Diospyros digyna and wild Diospyros rekoi trees during consecutive winter seasons were obtained. Fruits were harvested in habitats having marked differences in soil quality, climate, and luminosity. RESULTS D. digyna fruits were larger and less acid than D. rekoi fruits, whereas antioxidant activity tended to be higher in D. rekoi fruits. Phenolic, flavonoid, and sugar contents also varied significantly between species. Metabolomic analysis allowed the pre‐identification of 519 and 1665 metabolites in negative and positive electrospray ionization (ESI) modes, respectively. Principal component analysis of the positive ESI data explained 51.8% of the variance and indicated clear metabolomic differences between D. rekoi and D. digyna fruits that were confirmed by direct‐injection ESI mass spectrometry profiles. Twenty‐one discriminating metabolites were detected in fruits of both species; D. digyna fruits differentially accumulated lysophospholipids, whereas discriminating metabolites in D. rekoi fruits were chemically more diverse than those in D. digyna fruits. CONCLUSION Domesticated D. digyna fruits have improved physicochemical fruit traits compared with wild D. rekoi fruits, including larger size and lower acidity. The metabolomic and chemical composition of their respective fruits were also significantly different, which in D. rekoi was manifested as a notable season‐dependent increase in antioxidant capacity. Therefore, wild D. rekoi can be considered as an important genetic resource for the improvement of commercial Diospyros fruit quality. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

Seasonal Changes in the Metabolic Profiles and Biological Activity in Leaves of Diospyros digyna and D. rekoi “Zapote” Trees

“…This study represents part of an ongoing investigation to determine the influence that domestication, seasonality, growing habitat, and cultural practices, or the lack thereof, have on the physiology and metabolism of two Mesoamerican Diospyros species: D. digyna and D. rekoi . Similar to previous reports describing significant differences in tree physiology [15] and fruit physicochemical properties [16], the present investigation revealed that metabolic abundance and diversity was greater in leaves of wild D. rekoi trees compared to those of domesticated D. digyna . This finding suggests that the domestication process in D. digyna reduced the metabolic richness of their leaves without affecting important nutraceutical traits, such as antioxidant capacity.…”

“…Although less evident, a certain degree of leaf metabolic variability in the trees sampled was also observed. A previous study implied that domestication of D. digyna led to the production of larger and more symmetrical fruits, in addition to a divergence from D. rekoi fruits in several other physicochemical properties [16]. This concept was supported by the decreased metabolic diversity and seasonal variability in the chemistry of D. digyna leaves herein reported.…”

Diospyros digyna (black sapote), an Undervalued Fruit: A Review

“…There have been no reports about the content of pectin, but its presence has been reported, which is useful in the preparation of products based on black sapote. 39,40 Proteins (1 g/100 g of pulp) 38 and fat (1.2 g/100 g of pulp) 41 have also been reported in the pulp.…”

“…Biological compounds that show antioxidant activity have been identified. The large amount of phenolic compounds shows an antioxidant activity similar to that of guava and papaya; 34 however, the variability in antioxidant activity might be due to the harvest season 38 and maturation of the fruit. 33,39,44 The type of solvent used for the extraction also may affect the antioxidant activity values; it increases when an extraction is carried out with a hydrophilic solvent compared to a lipophilic one.…”

“…As opposed to many fruits, D. digyna fruits have high pH values (6.5−6.7), have low titratable acidity (0.008−0.91%), and are rich in vitamin C. 11 Regardless of their low acidity, they contain citric, malic, tartaric, and fumaric acids. 38 Carbohydrates. The amount of carbohydrates (fiber, glucose, fructose, and sucrose) may vary between 12% and 15%; the variations depend on factors such as maturity, season and place of harvest, storage conditions, etc.…”