There is a significant indication of the beneficial health effects of fruit rich diets. Fruits of native plant species have noticeably different phytochemicals and bioactive effects. The aim of this work was to characterize and compare the constituents of jabuticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba, MJ), jamun-berry (Syzygium cumini, SC), and malay-apple (Syzygium malaccense, SM) extracts and their influence on antioxidant activity in vitro and antiproliferative effects on human colon adenocarcinoma cells. According to the results, dried peel powders (DP) have a high anthocyanin content, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity when compared to freeze dried extracts (FD). M. jaboticaba dried peel powder extract had a higher total anthocyanin and phenolic compounds content (802.90 ± 1.93 and 2152.92 ± 43.95 mg/100 g, respectively). A reduction in cell viability of HT-29 cells after treatment with M. jaboticaba extracts (DP-MJ and FD-MJ) was observed via MTT assay. Flow cytometry showed that the treatment with the anthocyanin-rich extracts from MJ, SC, and SM had an inhibitory impact on cell development due to G₂/M arrest and caused a rise in apoptotic cells in relation to the control group. The findings of this study highlight the potential of peel powders from Myrtaceae fruits as an important source of natural antioxidants and a protective effect against colon adenocarcinoma.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a fruit with a long medicinal history, especially due to its phenolic compounds content, such as the anthocyanins, which are reported as one of the most important natural antioxidants. The analysis of the anthocyanins by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) can be considered as an important tool to evaluate the quality of pomegranate juice. For research laboratories the major challenge in using HPLC for quantitative analyses is the acquisition of high purity analytical standards, since these are expensive and in some cases not even commercially available. The aim of this study was to obtain analytical standards for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the anthocyanins from pomegranate. Five vegetable matrices (pomegranate flower, jambolan, jabuticaba, blackberry and strawberry fruits) were used to isolate each of the six anthocyanins present in pomegranate fruit, using an analytical HPLC scale with non-destructive detection, it being possible to subsequently use them as analytical standards. Furthermore, their identities were confirmed by high resolution mass spectrometry. The proposed procedure showed that it is possible to obtain analytical standards of anthocyanins with a high purity grade (98.0 to 99.9%) from natural sources, which was proved to be an economic strategy for the production of standards by laboratories according to their research requirements.

Vitamin A deficiency is the third most important micronutrient deficiency having a significant impact on public health worldwide. The aim of this study was to develop a carotenoid extraction process with edible vegetable oils, using a central composite design which, concurrently, enriches the oils with provitamin A carotenoids. The stability of carotenoids in the oil and their shelf life was also evaluated. The process also aimed to meet the Recommended Daily Intake for vitamin A (600 μg retinol equivalent for an adult) with the enriched oil. The results showed that 20 % of the vegetable matrix (dried carrot) in vegetable oil and 5 min of extraction time was an optimum combination for both soy oil (64.43 μg retinol equivalent mL−1) and olive oil (62.98 μg retinol equivalent mL−1). Furthermore, the ingestion of just a spoonful (∼10 mL) of the enriched oils would meet the Recommended Daily Intake for vitamin A (600 μg retinol equivalent), and, thus, it was possible to affirm that a dose of vegetable oils enriched with provitamin A contributes to meeting the Recommended Daily Intake for vitamin A. The proposed process is based on simple and low-cost technology that can be used to enrich edible oils (soybean and olive oil) with provitamin A.

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba) is a recognizable and unique crop from Brazil. The fruit’s byproducts are currently being studied, given their bioactive composition and promising anti-cancer potential. It is not evident, however, if different harvesting seasons can modify the chemical profile and antioxidant capacity of jaboticaba fruit fractions. Furthermore, as there is limited data for jaboticaba’s anti-proliferative effects, additional assessments are required to improve the robustness of these findings. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the composition of the peel of jaboticaba collected in two periods (May—off-season, sample 1—and August–October—peak season, sample 2) and test the peel’s richest anthocyanin sample against colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. To accomplish this, proximate, spectrophotometric, and chromatographic analyses were performed in two freeze-dried samples; and anti-proliferative and/or colony-forming assays were carried out in Caco-2, HT29, and HT29-MTX cells. As a result, sample 2 showed the highest levels of polyphenols overall, including flavonoids and anthocyanins. This sample displayed significative higher contents of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (48%) and delphinidin-3-O-glucoside (105%), in addition to a superior antioxidant capacity (23% higher). Sample 1 showed higher amounts of total protein, gallic acid (20% higher), and specific carotenoids. An aqueous extract from sample 2 was tested against CRC, showing anti-proliferative effects for Caco-2 cells at 1 and 2 mg/mL concentrations, with IC50 values of 1.2–1.3 mg/mL. Additionally, the extract was able to inhibit cell colony formation when tested at both low and high concentrations. In conclusion, jaboticaba collected in the main season stands out regarding its polyphenol composition and holds potential against cancer cell growth.

Acylated anthocyanins from a purple-fleshed sweet potato (PFSP), obtained by organic cultivation in Brazil, were characterized after separation by a high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-PDA). These anthocyanins were manually collected at the detector output, concentrated and injected into a high resolution mass spectrometer (ESI-QTOF-MS2). Twenty-two acylated anthocyanins were detected. Among them, sixteen had been reported in the literature and six, derived from peonidin were reported for the first time in sweet potato roots in this study. These compounds showed molecular ions with accurate mass/charge ratios (m/z) of 909.2081, 961.3010, 961.2571, 963.3345, 1123.2932 and 1179.3862. Although anthocyanins in PFSP have already been extensively studied, the variety studied in this work is probably genetically different from all varieties and cultivars already researched, which would explain why these anthocyanins have not been observed in the previously studied varieties.

O arroz preto, nutricionalmente superior ao arroz branco por possuir teores mais elevados de proteínas e fibras tem sido alvo do interesse gastronômico nacional e internacional devido à presença de pigmentos, sabor e aroma diferenciados. O pigmento presente no pericarpo do arroz preto pertence à classe das antocianinas, substâncias que têm sido pesquisadas devido as suas contribuições na redução do risco de doenças crônicas. Neste trabalho tais substâncias foram investigadas no pericarpo da cultivar de arroz preto IAC 600, desenvolvida pelo Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) e adaptada às condições climáticas do Brasil. Para isso, foi utilizado Cromatógrafo Líquido de Ultra eficiência (CLUE) acoplado ao Espectrômetro de Massas de Alta Resolução (ESI-Q-TOF-EM). Foram identificadas cinco antocianinas: cianidina-3,5-O-diglicosídeo, cianidina-3-O-diglicosídeo, cianidina-3-O-glicosídeo (majoritária), cianidina-3-O-rutenosídeo e peonidina-3-O-glicosídeo.