A new article by Paula Batista-Santos and António Eduardo Baptista Leitão, researchers from the ForEco group at the Forest Research Centre (CEF), characterizes the phenolic content in pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) fruit peel with potential antioxidant properties.
The study “Phenolic Compounds Characterization of Caryocar brasiliense Peel with Potential Antioxidant Activity” is the result of a project led by Paula Batista Santos and funded by the Colégio Tropical (CTROP) of the University of Lisbon, in collaboration with researchers from LEAF – Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food and the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon, in Portugal, and the Universidade Federal de São João Del-Rei and Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, in Brazil.
The pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) fruit peel, often discarded, is rich in bioactive compounds, giving it significant nutritional value. This study explored the peel’s antioxidant properties and health benefits, revealing high total phenolic content (TPC) and identifying key antioxidants such as DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS through advanced methods like PS-MS and HPLC.
Epicatechin, caffeic, salicylic, and gallic acids were the most abundant phenolic compounds found, with fingerprinting indicating numerous health benefits. These findings suggest pequi peel’s potential in functional foods, offering economic benefits and environmental advantages by reducing waste.
The article “Phenolic Compounds Characterization of Caryocar brasiliense Peel with Potential Antioxidant Activity” can be found here.