CHANGES IN BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN FRUITS OF Eriobotrya japonica GROWN IN THREE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN NORTHEASTERN PERU.

Recently, there has been a growing interest in bioactive compounds metabolized by plants, which are an important nutritional source for the human diet and are found in almost all vegetables and fruits. The objective was to evaluate the changes of bioactive compounds during the ripening of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) fruit. For this purpose, fruits were collected at three different stages of ripening from three different production sites in the Amazon region, located in northeastern Peru. Color, total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteu method), antioxidant activity (DPPH free radical method) and total flavonoids (colorimetric assay) were determined for all samples. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and means were compared by Tukey's test (p = 0.05). Color and bioactive compounds depend on the stage of ripening and, to a lesser extent, on the origin of the fruit. Ripe fruits have a higher content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids (up to five times higher) that can be used in the food and pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]