Effects of ripening stage on the content and antioxidant capacities of phenolic compounds of arils, seeds and husks of ackee fruit Blighia sapida Köenig

Abstract The aim of this study were to reveal the profile and the antioxidant capacities of total phenolic compounds (TPC) of arils, seeds and husks of ackee fruit of different ripening stages. Fruits were harvest at not open, mid open and fully open pods stages. Phenolic compounds profiled using UHPLC-MS/MS revealed a total of seventeen different phenolics. The highest level (15 mg/g DW) noted was vanillic acid in the seeds of not open pods, while the lowest level (0.1 mg/g DW) noted were gallic acid and ferulic acid in the arils and the husks of not open pods. During ripening, TPC decreased in the arils, but increased in the seeds and husk. TPC ranged from lowest value of 244.29 μg/g DW in the arils of fully open pods to the highest value of 652.72 μg/g DW in the husks of fully open pods. The husks of fully open pods exhibited the highest DPPH-radical scavenging capacity, H 2 O 2 scavenging capacity and the reducing power capacity, while the seeds exhibited the lowest values. On the other hand, high correlation was found between TPC and antioxidant capacities. Conclusively, the results of this study provide important information on the phenolic compounds profile and their antioxidant properties of different of ackee fruit harvested at different ripening stages, and this information is very useful for determining the nutritional quality of this fruit for better use either in human, animal or industry.