Fruit biometry and physicochemical and antioxidant evaluations of calabura flour

Abstract

Muntingia calabura is an exotic fruit tree species introduced in Brazil where it has adapted very well the types of soils and tropical climate. The objective of this work was to analyze fruit biometry and physicochemical constituents, carotenoids, total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of whole-fruit meal of calabura. The fruits had a length of 1.45 mm, a diameter of 1.54 mm, a fresh mass of 1.97 g and a dry mass of 0.41 g. The fruit meal had 6.61%, ash 3.72%, lipids 3.48%, °Brix 3.5, pH 6.67, coumarins (+), color L* 29.35, a* 11.15, b* 19.98, C* 22.88, h° 60.82, vitamin A 7.74 μg retinol, vitamin C 15.26 mg 100 g-1, vitamin E in tocopherol 0.11 m/m, carbohydrate 85.76%, total protein 0.43%, β-carotene 92.94 μg 100 mL-1, lycopene 47.98 μg 100 g-1, phenolic compounds 10.32 mg GAE 100 g-1, DPPH was not detected in the sample, and oxidation index equal to 20.5 seconds. The biometric analysis of the fruits showed results that will constitute new data for ecology and genetics of this plant species. The flour of the whole fruit presented contents of important compounds that can be used by the food industry for the production of functional products, with bioactive and pharmaceutical characteristics in the study, elaboration and development in the topical line as photoprotective solutions due to the contents of vitamins, carotenoids and phenolic compounds.