Cambuci: a native fruit from the Brazilian Atlantic forest showed nutraceutical characteristics

Abstract The Atlantic Forest is recognized as a biome rich in biodiversity. Cambuci trees (Campomanesia phaea) produce fruits that may be consumed as both fresh and processed forms but are still underutilized. The aim of this study was to describe the physicochemical characteristics and bioactive compounds in cambuci fruits from Brazilian Atlantic Forest, located at Natividade da Serra-SP, Brazil. Cambuci fruits of the fifty-nine accessions were characterized according to fresh weight, pulp yield, peel percentage, longitudinal and transversal diameters (LD and TD, respectively), pH, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), SSC/TA ratio, ascorbic acid, total phenolic compounds content, and antioxidant activity using the DPPH assay. The soluble solids contents varied from 5.10 °Brix to 11.00 °Brix. The titratable acidity varied from 1.29 to 2.90 g citric acid 100 g-1. Ascorbic acid content was of 31.12 to 139.38 mg 100 g-1. Total phenolic compounds varied from 330.5 mg GAE 100 g-1 to 3,526.04 mg GAE 100 g-1. The antioxidant activity was of 65.03 µmol Trolox g-1 fruit pulp (fresh weight) to 199.78 µmol Trolox g-1 fruit pulp (fresh weight), a factor of 6.7 difference between the extremes. These results showed cambuci fruits presented as rich source of ascorbic acid, total phenolic compounds, and with high antioxidant capacity.