Fermentation of different fruits offers diverse flavours, aromas and colours as well as possible benefits from dietary fibre, vitamins and phenolic compounds. In this work, wines were prepared from dragon fruit from the cactus cagaita, the grape‐like berry from jabuticaba and the yellow berry from the cactus pitaya. Fruit wines from cagaita, jabuticaba and pitaya were analysed for volatile compounds, phenolic content and antioxidant capacity (DPPH and FRAP). The cagaita wine showed the highest ability to scavenge DPPH free radicals, in addition to reducing power assessed by the FRAP method. Fermentation of cagaita, jabuticaba and pitaya provides an alternative and constructive use for fruit post‐harvest together with a potential source of bioactive compounds that may be beneficial to human health. © 2018 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling

In this study, the antioxidant, antimicrobial, mechanical, optical, and barrier attributes of Solanum lycocarpum starch bio-based edible films incorporated with a phenolic extract from jaboticaba peel were investigated. Aiming to determine the effect of the polymers and the phenolic extract on the properties of the films, a three-factor simplex-lattice design was employed, and the formulation optimization was based on the produced films’ antioxidant potential. The optimized formulation of the starch-PEJP film showed a reddish-pink color with no cracks or bubbles and 91% antioxidant activity against DPPH radical. The optimized starch-PEJP film showed good transparency properties and a potent UV-blocking action, presenting color variation as a function of the pH values. The optimized film was also considerably resistant and highly flexible, showing a water vapor permeability of 3.28 × 10−6 g m−1 h−1 Pa−1. The microbial permeation test and antimicrobial evaluation demonstrated that the optimized starch-PEJP film avoided microbial contamination and was potent in reducing the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella spp. In summary, the active starch-PEJP film showed great potential as an environmentally friendly and halochromic material, presenting antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and high UV-protecting activity.