Antioxidant capacity of capulin (Prunus serotina subsp. capuli (Cav). McVaugh) fruit at different stages of ripening

Abstract

Prunus serotina is a species that grows wild or under cultivated conditions in several regions of the Americas, and is considered as a potential source of antioxidants. The study aimed to evaluate the concentration changes in compounds that contribute to the antioxidant capacity in capulin (Prunus serotina) fruit during the ripening process, in order to define when the maximum concentration is reached and thus establish a harvest index for the fruit. Antioxidant capacity was evaluated by spectroscopic methods. A completely randomized simple factor design was used for the statistical analysis. It was found that the content of total phenols and flavonoids decreased significantly at the S3 ripening stage (93 days after anthesis, DAA). Total anthocyanins increased significantly to 1.4 mg Cyanidin-3-glucoside g−1 db . The antioxidant capacity of the fruit had a maximum value of 63.7 µmol TE g−1 db at the S3 ripening stage (93 DAA). Results indicated that the antioxidant capacity of the fruit is related to the content of total flavonoids and is higher before reaching the characteristic purple coloration, which is a consumption indicator.