Antioxidant in mango (Mangifera indica L.) pulp

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Agricultural Chemistry

Background:

• Mangoes are recognized for their nutritional value and antioxidant properties.
• Understanding the variation in antioxidant components across cultivars is crucial for food industry and consumers.
• Ripening stage significantly influences the phytochemical profile of fruits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and compare the levels of key antioxidant compounds in four mango cultivars.
• To investigate the relationship between mango cultivar and antioxidant potential.
• To provide data supporting the role of mangoes as a dietary source of antioxidants.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of total phenolic compounds using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent.
• Spectrophotometric determination of total carotenoid content at 450 nm.
• Quantification of beta-carotene and total vitamin C (ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid) via High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Main Results:

• Significant variations in phenolic compounds, carotenoids, beta-carotene, and total vitamin C were observed among the four mango cultivars.
• Phenolic compounds ranged from 48.40 mg/100 g (Haden) to 208.70 mg/100 g (Ubá).
• Total carotenoids varied from 1.91 mg/100 g (Haden) to 2.63 mg/100 g (Palmer), beta-carotene from 661.27 µg/100 g (Palmer) to 2,220 µg/100 g (Ubá), and total ascorbic acid from 9.79 mg/100 g (Tommy Atkins) to 77.71 mg/100 g (Ubá).

Conclusions:

• Mango cultivars exhibit distinct profiles of antioxidant compounds.
• The Ubá cultivar showed particularly high levels of phenolic compounds, beta-carotene, and total vitamin C.
• These findings reinforce the importance of mangoes as a valuable source of dietary antioxidants.