Antioxidant activity of cerrado fruits

Annona crassiflora (araticum), Solanum lycocarpum (lobeira), Eugenia dysenterica (cagaita), Caryocar brasilense (pequi) and Swartzia langsdorfii (banha de galinha) are tropical fruits consumed mainly by native people in the Brazilian Cerrado (second biggest biome of Brazil). In this study, pulp, seed and peel of the fruits were extracted using ethanol and water. Some of the extracts showed a high content of total phenols and were screened for their potential as antioxidants using the in vitro model 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH). The best results were found for aqueous and ethanotic extracts of pequi Peel (IC50 of 9,44 and 17,98 mu g.mL(-1) respectively), etanolic extract of cagaita seeds (IC50 of 14,15 mu g.mL(-1)), etanolic extract of araticum seeds and peel (IC50 of 30,97 and 49,18 mu g.mL(-1) respectively). This is the first report on the antioxidant properties of the extracts of cerrado fruit fractions. Owing to these properties, studies can be further extended to use them for possible applications as natural antioxidant for cosmetics, supplements and functional ingredients for food products as well as being able to represent a sustainable application of the natural sources in the Brazilian bioma cerrado.