Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities of fruits.

Abstract

Brazil is among the 17 megadiverse countries (a term coined by Russell Alan Mittermeier, in 1997, to refer to the countries that harbor the highest levels of biodiversity and endemic species) however, it is the most prominent for containing approximately 20% of all world diversity. When it comes to agriculture, the country also stands out worldwide, in this case with the Horticulture species (understood as the branch of agriculture that studies the techniques of production and use of trees, shrubs and herbs, through their flowers, leaves, fruits and tubers). This scientific work deals specifically with fruit and vegetables, including native ones, which place Brazil as the third largest fruit producer in the world, behind China and India (ANDRADE, 2014), with 65% of this production being consumed in the country itself and 35% abroad (EMBRAPA, 2021), while in vegetables, according to Waldemar Pires de Camargo Filho and Felipe Pires de Camargo, in 2015, it ranked sixth in world production. According to the IBGE (2021), Brazil has great responsibility at the global level, as expressed in the sustainable development goals (SDGs), established by the UN and supported by the country, noting that the year 2021 was chosen by the UN as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables. Such facts would fully justify the realization of this publication, which covers research in Horticulture with due food safety. There is a lot to be done and this work is an example of what we can do, and human beings have awakened their interest in healthier food, especially in recent decades, demonstrating common sense through growing interest in the chemical composition and antioxidant properties of fruits and vegetables and vegetables. This "new" behavior food currently plays a central role in the prevention and treatment of disease (ALESSANDRA ROSSI et al., 2008). Scientific research has shown a negative association between fruit and vegetable consumption and the incidence of diseases, whose positive effects are attributed to the presence of nutrients (eg, vitamins A, C and E, and phenolic content) (ENGLBERGER et al., 2009; FLORES et al., 2012). There is a need to highlight the fruits for representing the largest natural reserves of antioxidants, for their richness in bioactive compounds, responsible for flavor, color, odor and oxidative stability. Such bioactive compounds modulate metabolic processes, in addition to influencing cellular activities, with their antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antiallergic properties, causing beneficial physiological effects, preventing or reducing the risk of numerous diseases (BERNARDI et al., 2019). In fruit, the country offers new products with functional foods, using various fruits (e.g. oranges, guavas, grapes, watermelons, grapefruit, cherries, apples, bananas, lemons, melons, etc.) that provide a range of nutrients and phytochemical compounds (phenolics, flavonoids and carotenoids), vitamins (vitamin C, folate and provitamin A), minerals (potassium, calcium and magnesium) in addition to essential fibers. Red fruits (blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries and strawberries) receive special attention in research to prevent chronic diseases. Among the studied vitamins appear water-soluble Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), acting as the first defense against free radicals (BOMFIM, et al., 2017). Fruits can be consumed fresh or in processed products such as juices, nectars, jellies, purees, flours, and fermented beverages - wines and beers etc. (BRAZIL, 2015). For the case of beers, several fruit trees are used (eg cherries, raspberry, peach, apricot, grape, plum, orange and apple), where the antioxidant activity, the content of total polyphenols and flavonoids are considerably higher in the cherry species, grapes, plum and orange, respectively (PEREIRA, 2009). Regarding the use of fruit by-products (ex: peels, seeds, stalks and bagasse) there is great potential for its bioactive compounds. In addition to the application of phenolic compounds as a replacement or complement to food additives (vitamins, mineral salts and others), the industry has a great challenge regarding the most suitable extraction method for its isolation. The use of unconventional methods for the extraction of these compounds meet the concepts of green chemistry (ANASTAS & WILLIAMSON, 1996), using biodegradable solvents, with low energy consumption. There are also promising alternatives such as fermentation, physical techniques and enrichment through residues increasing the bioactive compounds in the product. Thinking about these aspects and the importance of the techniques used, that is, drying, lyophilization and pasteurization used in different fruits, in order to preserve their nutrients and bioactive compounds. The selected fruits were apples (Malus domestica), jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora), achachariu (Garcinia humilis), physalis (Physalis angulate) and mandacaru (Cereus jamacaru). The work is increasingly contributing to the technological and productive development of the country in the definitive implementation of an efficient and clean model of food production for the world. I consider this an essential work, since research on nutrition and antioxidant actions in horticulture, especially with fruits, is still infrequent, and this work comes to contribute and minimize such scarcity. Dr. Renato Ferraz de Arruda Veiga (Sociedade Brasileira de Recursos Genéticos).