Comparative Content and Antioxidant Nutritional Quality of Some Bioactive Compounds in Commonly Consumed Fresh Fruits in South - Western Nigeria

摘要

Fruits are rich in phytochemicals believed to be beneficial for the maintenance of health and prevention of disease. Epidemiological evidence confirms that the health benefits are due to the presence of an array of antioxidant molecules such as phenolics, flavonoids and carotenoids. This study examined seven commonly consumed fresh fruits from South - Western Nigeria for their antioxidant profiles and some biochemical parameters associated with their organoleptic qualities using spectrophotometric and standard AOAC methods. The fruits include mango (Magnifera indica), tomato (Solarium lycopersicon), watermelon (Citrulus lanatus), pineapple (Ananas comosus), orange (Citrus sinensis), Apple (Malus sieversii) and Avocado pear (Persea americana). Totalphenolics in the fruits ranged from 0.60 to 2.17mg/gfwb, total flavonoids from 0.07 to 0.95mg/gfwb while the highest anthocyanin content of 8.03mg/gfwb was recorded in mango. Total soluble solids and pH values were not significantly different in the fruits and titratable acidity ranged from 0.22 to 0.73%. These findings show that the fruits are a significant source of natural antioxidants and possess good organoleptic properties.