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Physical, Chemical, and Antioxidant Activity Characterization of Pitaya (Stenocereus pruinosus) Fruits

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Abstract

Fruits with red and orange flesh of the columnar cactus pitaya (Stenocereus pruinosus) were studied to evaluate physical characteristics, total soluble solids, betalains and soluble phenols content, and antioxidant activity. Fruits had, in average, weight of 179.0 g, 9.8 °Brix, 9.4 % carbohydrates, 1.25 % protein, 0.11 % ethereal extract, 0.60 % crude fiber, and 0.62 % ash. Also, fruits resulted rich in Fe (22.8–27.8 mg/kg). Hue angle and contents of betacyanins, betaxanthins (μg/g dry sample), and total soluble phenols (mg GAE/g fresh sample) were 19.8°, 2860.0, 3210.0, and 1.6 in the red material, and 28.9°, 470.0, 2670.0, and 1.2, respectively, in the orange fruit. The antioxidant capacity was higher in the red material, since the ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)) technique reported 1090.6 and 735.4 μmol of Trolox equivalents/g fresh flesh in red and orange fruits, respectively, while the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay reported 7.84 and 5.16 μmol of Trolox equivalents/g fresh flesh, respectively. The chromatographic profile showed five betalains in red fruits, but only four of them were observed in those orange fleshed.

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Abbreviations

AA:

Antioxidant activity

ABTS:

2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)

GAE:

Gallic acid equivalents

HPLC:

High performance liquid chromatography

HSD:

Honest significant difference

ORAC:

Oxygen radical absorbance capacity

TE:

Trolox equivalents

Tsp:

Total soluble phenols

TSS:

Total soluble solids

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All authors confirmed that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ingeniería Agroindustrial, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Carretera México-Texcoco, km 38.5, Chapingo, 56230, Mexico, Mexico

    Leticia García-Cruz, Salvador Valle-Guadarrama & Elvia Joaquín-Cruz

  2. Laboratory of Crops Quality, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), P.O. Box 10, Chapingo, 56230, Mexico, Mexico

    Yolanda Salinas-Moreno

Authors
  1. Leticia García-Cruz
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  2. Salvador Valle-Guadarrama
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  3. Yolanda Salinas-Moreno
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  4. Elvia Joaquín-Cruz
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Correspondence to Salvador Valle-Guadarrama.

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García-Cruz, L., Valle-Guadarrama, S., Salinas-Moreno, Y. et al. Physical, Chemical, and Antioxidant Activity Characterization of Pitaya (Stenocereus pruinosus) Fruits. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 68, 403–410 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-013-0391-8

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