Foods rich in antioxidants play an essential role in the prevention of diseases. The present study compared contents of phenolics, vitamin C, anthocyanin and antioxidant activity of 11 fresh exotic fruits, cultivated in the northeastern part of Brazil. The antioxidant activities were evaluated using two antioxidant systems 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), expressed as TEAC (Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity) and VCEAC (Vitamin C Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity) values. The results indicated that the above fruits, such as murici and mangaba, were good sources of antioxidants. The phenolic contents showed positive correlations with total antioxidant by ABTS (R = 0.94, P ≤ 0.001) and DPPH (R = 0.88, P ≤ 0.001) assays. However, this correlation was not noticed when examining vitamin C and anthocyanins contents. The 11 fruits studied had comparable antioxidant activity in both, ABTS and DPPH assays. These methods are recommended as useful tools for the evaluation of the total activity antioxidant in fruits. Our results indicated promising perspectives for the development and usage of fruits species studied with considerable levels of antioxidant activity.

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Considering the lack of research studies about nutrients' bioaccessibility in cashew apple, in this study the whole cashew apple juice and the cashew apple fibre were submitted to simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. The samples were analysed before and after digestion and had their copper, iron, zinc, ascorbic acid, total extractable phenols and total antioxidant activity assessed. As a result, for the whole cashew apple juice, the content of copper and iron minerals bioaccessible fraction were 15% and 11.5% and for zinc this level was 3.7%. Regarding the cashew apple fibre, the bioaccessible fraction for these minerals was lower than 5%. The ascorbic acid, total extractable polyphenols and total antioxidant activity bioaccessible fraction for whole cashew apple juice showed bioaccessibility percentages of 26.2%, 39% and 27%, respectively, while for the cashew apple fibre, low bioaccessibles levels were found. The bioacessible percentage of zinc, ascorbic acid and total extractable polyphenols were higher in cashew apple juice than cashew apple fibre.

Esta revisão apresenta os aspectos relevantes da àgua-de-coco, como os relacionados com sua composição química, valor nutritivo e propriedades funcionais, que aliadas a seu sabor adocicado, tornaram-na uma bebida muito apreciada, favorecendo o aumento do seu consumo. Também aborda as formas de comercialização da água-de-coco destacando-se os aspectos relacionados à industrialização que equilibram a oferta do produto ao longo do ano. Os fatores importantes durante o processamento da água-de-coco foram enfatizados e as pesquisas que vêm sendo realizadas para extensão de sua vida de prateleira e obtenção de produtos que mantenham o máximo possível suas características sensoriais originais. Palavras-chave: Cocus nucifera L., propriedades funcionais, preservação, estabilidade. AbstractThis review presents the important aspects of the coconut water, such as its chemical composition, nutritional value and functional properties, which allied to its sweetened taste, turned it into a much appreciated beverage, favoring the increase of its consumption. It also reports the types of commercialization of the coconut water and the related aspects of the industrialization of the coconut water, balancing the offer of green coconut along the year. The important factors during the industrialization of the coconut water were emphasized and the researches that have been accomplished for the extension of its shelf life, obtaining products that maintain as much as possible its original sensorial characteristics.