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Determination of total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of fruits from wild and creole Carica papaya genotypes in comparison to commercial papaya cultivars

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Abstract

Antioxidant activity (AA), total polyphenols content (TPC) and polyphenols profile (PP) were investigated during 10 days of postharvest ripening, in peels and pulps from fruits from three Carica papaya genotypes of different origin. Wild-genotype (WG) collected in Yucatan, Mexico (part of its center of origin) showed higher AA and TPC values than the commercial-genotype (CG). Likewise, PP analysis resulted in the identification and quantification of 4 families: phenolic acids, flavanols, dihydrochalcones and flavonols in both peels and pulps, as well as lignans, that were only found in fruit peels. Interestingly, fruits from WG also had higher contents than CG, in the following specific polyphenols: in peels; 5-O-Caffeoylquinic acid (chlorogenic acid) and kaempferol (both absent in CG), 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid 4-O-glucoside (3.8 times), quercetin 3-O-hexoside (3.5 times), 4-O-Caffeoylquinic acid (2.8 times), 5-O-Galloylquinic acid (2.7 times) and matairesinol (2.6 times). In pulps; 4-O-Caffeoylquinic acid (9.4 times), quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (rutin; 6.8 times), p-Coumaric acid 4-O-glucoside (p-coumaroyl hexoside; 2.5 times), p-Coumaroyl glycolic acid (2.5 times) and phloridzin (1.7 times). The superior capacity of wild native genotypes to accumulate more total polyphenols, to show higher antioxidant activity and to show even higher contents of some specific polyphenols known to have beneficial health effects (against chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases), might represent a good base for breeding programs aiming to obtain new varieties with superior nutraceutical properties.

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Abbreviations

AA:

Antioxidant activity

ABTS:

2,2′-Azinobis-3-ethylbenzotiazoline-6-sulphonic-acid

C. papaya :

Carica papaya

CG:

Commercial-genotype

CrG:

Creole-genotype

DPPH:

2,2′-Diphenyl-1-116 picrylhydrazyl

DW:

Dry weight

FW:

Fresh weight

G:

Green stage

GA:

Gallic acid

GAE:

Gallic acid equivalents

PP:

Polyphenols profile

RP:

Reducing power

TE:

Trolox equivalents

TPC:

Total polyphenol content

UPLC:

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography

WG:

Wild-genotype

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Acknowledgements

To CONACYT for the Grant No. CB221208 given to JSF and the PhD Scholarship No. 362319 given to ACL. To Mr. José Arjona for donating the commercial fruits used in the present study. To Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) as well as Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) for having awarded ACL the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) scholarship. We also acknowledge the use of the lab facilities at INAF, Quebec Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Unidad de Biotecnología, Colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, Calle 43 No. 130, entre 32 y 34, C.P. 97205, Mérida, Yucatán, México

    Arianna Chan-León, Humberto Estrella-Maldonado & Jorge M. Santamaría

  2. Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Laval University, 2440 Boulevard Hochelaga, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Pascal Dubé & Yves Desjardins

  3. Independent Researcher, Calle 6a 279a Jardines de Vista Alegre, Merida, Yucatán, 97138, México

    Gabriela Fuentes-Ortíz

  4. Instituto Tecnológico de Mérida, Km 5 Mérida-Progreso, C.P. 97205, Mérida, Yucatán, México

    Víctor M. Moo-Huchin, César A. Can-Cauich & Enrique Sauri-Duch

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  1. Arianna Chan-León
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  2. Humberto Estrella-Maldonado
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  9. Jorge M. Santamaría
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Contributions

AC-L, performed the experiments, wrote the first draft of the manuscript. HE-M, GFO, VM-H, CC-C, ES-D, conceived, designed the experiments, analyzed data and reviewed the manuscript. PD, YD, designed the PP experiments and contribute to the writing of the manuscript. JMS, corresponding author, general conception of the project and responsible for writing the final manuscript. All authors have read the final manuscript and approved its submission.

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Correspondence to Jorge M. Santamaría.

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Chan-León, A., Estrella-Maldonado, H., Dubé, P. et al. Determination of total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of fruits from wild and creole Carica papaya genotypes in comparison to commercial papaya cultivars. Food Measure 15, 5669–5682 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-021-01121-3

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