Tropical fruits as a potential source for the recovery of bioactive compounds: Tamarindus indica L., Annona muricata, Psidium guajava and Mangifera indica

Abstract

The objective of this review is to identify the bioactive compounds present in tropical fruits such as Tamarindus indica L., Annona muricata, Mangifera indica, and Psidium guajava and their biological activities. The identification of these compounds shows their potential as a food ingredient in the development of products, providing added value to them, because not only the pulp of the fruit is used, but also the shell and its other parts, such as the leaves, are used, being viable sources to obtain some compounds that benefit human health. Implementing fruits that have certain bioactive compounds such as carotenoids (β-carotene, α-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and β-cryptoxanthin), antioxidants (vitamins A and C), and phenolic compounds (ellagic acid, gallic acid, citric acid) in the production process in the food industry, allows them to become functional foodstuffs. The results obtained show the need to implement the operational processes that allow obtaining different compounds, which ensure their stability and precision, applying different extraction methods such as maceration, Soxhlet, supercritical fluids, and ultrasound.