Araticum ( Annona crassiflora Mart.) from the Brazilian Cerrado: chemical composition and bioactive compounds

Introduction . The Brazilian Cerrado presents a wide vegetable diversity, which is used for different purposes, especially in human feeding. Among the various fruits of the Cerrado, the araticum (Annona crassiflora Mart.) stands out, due to its high nutritional value and technological potential. The physical characteristics, chemical composition (titratable acidity, pH, moisture, ash, total dietary fiber, lipids and proteins), occurrence and content of vitamin C (ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids), carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin and lycopene), vitamin E (α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocopherols and tocotrienols) and folates (tetrahydrofolate, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate and 5-formyltetrahydrofolate) were evaluated in araticum from the Cerrado of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Materials and methods . Vitamin C and carotenoids were analyzed by HPLC-DAD, and vitamin E and folates by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Results and discussion . Araticum pulp presented a high energy value (95.12 kcal·100 g–1 ), as well as elevated contents of dietary fiber (6.80 g·100 g–1 ), carotenoids (4.98 mg·100 g –1 ) and vitamin A value (288.79 RAE·100 g–1 ). The contents of vitamin C, folates and vitamin E were 5.23 mg·100 g –1 , 27.36 μg·100 g–1 and 494.04 μg·100 g–1 , respectively. Conclusion . Araticum presented high energy value and high dietary fiber content. It is a source of vitamin C and folates, and an excellent source of vitamin A.