BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND LIPID CONTENT OF VARIOUS AVOCADO FRUITS

Abstract

Avocado fruits (Persea americana), native to Central America and Mexico, are highly nutritious and grown widely in tropical and subtropical regions. They are rich in fatty acids and other bioactive compounds such as vitamin E, carotenoids and phenolic compounds. Recently, avocado cultivars grown in Vietnam have gained more interest due to their value. This study aimed to investigate variations in lipid contents and bioactive compounds among avocado cultivars grown in Vietnam. Avocado fruits were harvested at mature green and transferred to the laboratory and stored at room temperature for ripening. Lipid content was measured by extraction with hexane. Phenolic content, antioxidant activity and carotenoid content were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu, DPPH and spectral methods, respectively. The results showed that the lipid content varied from 35.41% for Sap bong cultivar to 61.40% for 034 cultivar. Booth 3 cultivar showed the highest total phenolic content (6.46 mg GAE/g DW), while this value is the lowest for HAC cultivar (2.67 mg GAE/g DW). Flavonoid content also significantly varied between cultivars from 0.70 to 2.01 mg catechin/g DW. Carotenoid content ranged from 38.55 μg/g for HAC to 226.77 μg/g for Nam long. Variations in chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b contents were also observed. Chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b contents varied from 127.60 to 316.30 μg/g and 46.83 to 223.81 μg/g, respectively. Significant variations in the lipid content and the bioactive compounds between the avocado cultivars provide information to select high quality avocado fruits for commercial purposes.