Nutraceutical Value of Yellow- and Red-Fleshed South African Plums (Prunus salicina Lindl.): Evaluation of Total Antioxidant Capacity and Phenolic Composition

Abstract

Ten South African plum cultivars and selections, including yellow-and redfleshed plums from two harvest seasons were evaluated in terms of nutraceutical value (phenolic composition, total polyphenol content (TPC) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC)) and fruit attributes (colour, fruit mass, etc.). Plums were evaluated at two maturity stages, i.e., directly after harvest (unripe) and after a commercial cold storage and ripening regime (ripe). The phenolic composition of South African plums varied greatly, both qualitatively and quantitatively, between cultivars and selections. Neochlorogenic acid, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and quercetin-3-O-glucoside were the predominant hydroxycinnamic acid, anthocyanin and flavonol, respectively, although not present in all plums. The flavan-3-ols, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin and procyanidins B1 and B2, were present in all plums. Red-fleshed plums tended to display higher TAC and TPC than yellow-fleshed plums. The flavan-3-ol content was highly correlated with TAC. The effect of harvest season was cultivar-dependent, but cultivar differences were not obscured. In terms of maturity stage, the ripe fruits tended to contain higher levels of anthocyanins and some flavonol compounds, although the TPC and TAC were not affected in most cases. South African plums, especially the red-fleshed selections PR04-32 and PR04-35, were shown to provide generally high TAC and TPC compared to literature values.

Preharvest treatments with salicylates enhance nutrient and antioxidant compounds in plum at harvest and after storage

“…A similar profile of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and flavonols has been reported in other plum cultivars, such as ‘Angeleno’, ‘Black Beaut’ and ‘Santa Rosa’ . Regarding anthocyanins, two individual anthocyanins were identified and quantified, the main one being cyanidin 3‐glucoside, followed by cyanidin 3‐rhutinoside, according to previous reports in a wide range of purple plums cultivars such as ‘Blackamber’, ‘Larry Ann’, ‘Laetitia’, ‘Ruby Red’ and ‘Saphire’, among others , . However, in other violet and yellow‐violet plum cultivars, cyanidin 3‐ruthinoside has been found at higher concentrations than cyanidin 3‐glucoside .…”

“…34 Regarding anthocyanins, two individual anthocyanins were identified and quantified, the main one being cyanidin 3-glucoside, followed by cyanidin 3-rhutinoside, according to previous reports in a wide range of purple plums cultivars such as 'Blackamber', 'Larry Ann', 'Laetitia', 'Ruby Red' and 'Saphire', among others. 4,35 However, in other violet and yellow-violet plum cultivars, cyanidin 3-ruthinoside has been found at higher concentrations than cyanidin 3-glucoside. 36 In any case, it is interesting to note that SA, ASA and MeSA preharvest treatments led to increased levels of both anthocyanins in plum flesh, and these levels were maintained at significantly higher concentrations after 40 days of storage ( Fig.…”

Detection of Quantitative Trait Loci Controlling the Content of Phenolic Compounds in an Asian Plum (Prunus salicina L.) F1 Population

“…As for antioxidant activity, our DPPH results in flesh (0.24 and 1.14-mmol TE/100-g FW in flesh and skin tissues, respectively), were slightly lower than in Venter et al's (2014), where the values between 1.14 and 1.77 mmol TE/100-g FW were observed in a comparison of flesh from south African plum cultivars. Regarding FRAP, our value range in flesh [0.73-and 6.98mmol Fe(II)/100-g FW in flesh and skin tissues, respectively], was higher than the data of Venter et al (2014) [0.93-1.52-mmolFe(II)/100-g FW]. Regarding this point in our data, we observed that flesh DPPH values were higher in "Angeleno" than in "98.99" (1.7-and 1.2-mmol TE/100-g FW, respectively), while for FRAP data in the same tissue, the opposite is observed (4.46-and 4.90-mmol TE/100-g FW for "Angeleno" and "98.99, " respectively), which can be explained for the high dispersion obtained in FRAP assays.…”

“…The content of phenolic compounds in the Asian plums (as in other species) is a quantitative trait since it depends on the variety (genetic component) and the environmental conditions (Venter et al, 2013(Venter et al, , 2014González et al, 2016a). Quantitative genetic mapping is a powerful approach to evaluate the participation of a locus in the genetic control of a trait in a genomic context and across environments.…”

Nutraceutical and health benefits of some vegetables eaten in Enugu State Nigeria

“…They are loyal protectors and nurturers of our cells, repelling disease, and promoting good health (Rani et al, 2004;Karadeniz et al, 2005). Antioxidants can be derived from healthy foods or in the form of supplements and they include a family of naturally occuring compounds like vitamins A, C and E, beta-carotene, lycopene, flavonoids, and more (Enemo et al, 2010;Hamzah et al, 2013;Oyewole et al, 2013;Venter et al, 2014). These antioxidants are believed to protect cells from free radicals, harmful oxygen molecules which are thought to cause the cell damage that contributes to the development of cancer, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.…”