QUALIDADE, COMPOSTOS BIOATIVOS E ATIVIDADE ANTIOXIDANTE DE FRUTOS DE DIFERENTES GENÓTIPOS DE JABUTICABEIRAS DO BREJO PARAIBANO

Abstract

The Jabuticaba is a grape tree that belongs to the Myrtaceae family, of spontaneous occurrence in many parts of Brazil. The jabuticaba fruit has aroused great interest among the rural producers due to its high productivity and diverse forms of use. The jabuticaba fruit is a berry, subglobous, black when ripe, smooth, with 1.6 to 2.2 cm of diameter containing 1 to 4 seeds. It is a fragile fruit, with a thin peel when it is ripe, with pulp usually sweetened with a translucent or white color. Although they are highly prized for “in natura” consumption and there is information about the quality of jabuticaba genotypes of some sites of occurrence, there are still genotypes with differentiated characteristics that require more profound studies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of the fruits, peel and pulp of jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) from different genotypes of the Brejo Paraibano, as well as their physical, physico-chemical, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity, seeking better use of this fruit, as well as adding value to the regional production. The fruits of jabuticaba were collected from fourteen genotypes of rural properties, located in the city of Areia - Paraíba. Evaluations related to the size, peel color, weight, physical-chemical characteristics, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of both pulp and fruit peel were performed. There was no statistical difference among the genotypes 6 and 14 for fresh mass and the genotypes 12 and 13 for length. In relation to the diameter, genotype 13 presented a better mean. The highest mean of peel color were obtained: in genotype 13, for L *, in genotypes 5 and 7 for b * and in genotype 11 for a *. Among the fourteen genotypes evaluated, there was no statistical difference in firmness, pH, vitamin C, reducing sugars and anthocyanin parameters. However, the genotype 5 had the highest mean in non-reducing sugars and total soluble sugars. The values of soluble solids were lower than those reported in the literature and all genotypes presented a titratable acidity value greater than 1%, which is not recommended for fresh consumption. The fruits that presented the highest content of the antioxidant activity had lower values of total extractable polyphenols.