A comparative study of phytochemical profile and in vitro antioxidant activities of dark and light dried fig (Ficus carica L.) varieties

To study bioactive compounds of the dried fig, nine varieties (3 dark and 6 light varieties) were analyzed for their phytochemical profile and antioxidant activities. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using four methods, including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl radical, hydrogen peroxide, superoxide scavenging effects and phosphomolybdenum assay. The results showed that the fig varieties with a dark skin contain higher amounts of total phenolics, total flavonoïds, anthocyanins, flavonols and proanthocyanidins than the lighter varieties. Our results also revealed that the antioxidant activities of the dark varieties were markedly better than those of the light ones. High correlations were found between phytochemical contents and antioxidant activities. Principal component analysis (PCA) manifests 86.91 of cumulative variance which indicates that the fig varieties were well distinguished by their bioactive phytochemical contents and antioxidant activities. PCA plot confirms a net separation between the dark and light dried fig varieties.