Bioactive Components, Volatile Profile and In Vitro Antioxidative Properties of Taxus baccata L. Red Arils

Abstract

This study aimed at assessing the composition of bioactive compounds, including ascorbic acid, carotenoids and polyphenols, the volatile compound profile and the antioxidant activity of red arils (RAs) of Taxus baccata L. grown in diverse locations in Poland. Among the carotenoids assayed in high quantities (3.3–5.42 μg/g), the lycopene content (2.55–4.1 μg/g) was remarkably higher than that in many cultivated fruits. Samples collected from three sites were distinguished by higher amounts of ascorbic acid (125 mg/100 g, on average) than those found in many cultivated berries. Phenylpropanoids quantitatively dominated among the four groups of phenolic compounds. Chromatographic separation enabled the detection of two phenylpropanoid acids: ferulic and p-coumaric. Irrespectively of the growth site, RAs contained substantial amounts of (-)-epicatechin (1080 μg/100 g, on average). A higher ability to scavenge DPPH● and ABTS●+ radicals was found in the hydrophilic fraction of RAs from two sites (Warsaw and Koszalin) compared with the other two sites. The volatile compound profile of RAs was dominated by alcohols, followed by ketones, esters and aldehydes. The presence of some volatiles was exclusively related to the specific growth site, which may be regarded as a valuable indicator. The combination of bioactive and volatile compounds and the fairly good antioxidant potential of RAs render them an attractive source for preparing functional foods.

Volatile Compounds and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Selected Citrus Essential Oils Originated from Nepal

“…Depending upon the experimental condition and essential oil composition, synergistic or antagonistic behavior is expected and exceptions may be obtained [31] and this could be an area of further exploration in CEO. Moreover, phenolic compounds such as polyphenols and phenylpropanoids, which are sometimes among the main components of essential oil, have been found to have higher antioxidant values [31,32]. Additionally, the major constituents of CEO, limonene, and β-pinene, have a grounded defensive activity against many kinds of malignant growth as reported in the literature [33].…”

Volatile Components and Preliminary Antibacterial Activity of Tamarillo (Solanum betaceum Cav.)

“…Fruit volatiles consist of compounds from various chemical groups (alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, furanones, and terpenes), which are formed from precursors as the fruit ripens and changes postharvest [ 24 ]. For example, sucrose content is associated with the production of furans, whereas fatty acids content is related to the synthesis of esters and alcohols through lipid degradation [ 25 ].…”

“…Flavor volatiles of New Zealand tamarillo were dominated by eight different types of alcohols with 2,3-butanediol as the most abundant ( Table 2 ). This volatile was also present in Colombian tamarillo with relative amount of <100 μg/kg FW [ 7 , 18 ] and was also found as one of dominating alcohol in other fruit, such as Taxus baccata L. Red Arils [ 24 ]. Eugenol and α-terpineol, the major volatiles in tamarillo from Colombia [ 7 , 18 ], Malaysia [ 8 ], and Panama [ 6 ], were identified in the current study.…”

Chemical composition, antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities of Taxus baccata essential oil from Algeria

“…The populations of Serbia studied by Stefanović et al (2016) and those from Turkey studied by Yasar (2013) are dominated by alcohol; while the population of Serbia studied by Radulovic et al (2011) was found, dominated by monoterpenoids. A recent study on T. baccata red arils in Poland showed that alcohols, ketones, esters and aldehydes are dominated in their volatile profile (Tabaszewska et al 2021). The intra-specific difference of the chemical composition can be justified by the diversity of environmental and geographic parameters as well by the harvest period (Aboukhalid et al 2017;Yeddes et al 2018).…”

“…The antioxidant test of methanolic extracts obtained from T. baccata in Serbia shows that the plant has significant DPPH scavenging activity (Milutinović et al 2015). A study on the bioactive compounds found in red arils of T. baccata, shows that they have an important antioxidant capacity to scavenge DPPH (Tabaszewska et al 2021). Taxus baccata can be considered as a source of natural antioxidants due to its strong antioxidant capacity (Guleria et al 2013).…”