Phenolic Profile and Antioxidant Properties in Extracts of Developing Açaí (<i>Euterpe oleracea</i> Mart.) Seeds
Gabriel R. Martins, Mariana M. G. Mattos, Fabiane Marques Nascimento, Felipe Lopes Brum, Ronaldo Mohana‐Borges, Natália Guimarães de Figueiredo, Domingos Ferreira Mélo Neto, Gilberto B. Domont, Fábio César Sousa Nogueira, Francisco Campos, Ayla Sant’Ana da Silva
Abstract
). Four developmental stages were evaluated, with earlier stages displaying higher antioxidant activity and polyphenols content, while mass spectrometry analysis identified procyanidins (PCs) as the major components of the extracts in all stages. B-type PCs varied from dimers to decamers, with A-type linkages in a smaller number. Extracted PCs decreased in average length from 20.5 to 10.1 along seed development. PC composition indicated that (-)-epicatechin corresponded to over 95% of extension units in all stages, while (+)-catechin presence as the starter unit increased from 42 to 78.8% during seed development. This variation was correlated to the abundance of key enzymes for PC biosynthesis during seed development. This study is the first to report PC content and composition variations during açaí seed development, which can contribute to studies on the plant's physiology and biotechnological applications.