Characterization of Dietary Constituents, Phytochemicals, and Antioxidant Capacity of <i>Carpobrotus edulis</i> Fruit: Potential Application in Nutrition
<i>Carpobrotus edulis</i> (chorão-da-praia) is an edible and medicinal plant native to South Africa, currently distributed worldwide. Due to the urge for novel foods, invasive species can be considered valuable food supplies to accomplish the current goals of the 2030 Agenda. In this stu...
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2025-05-01
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| author | Carlota R. Marques Carla Sousa Carla Moutinho Carla Matos Ana Ferreira Vinha |
| author_facet | Carlota R. Marques Carla Sousa Carla Moutinho Carla Matos Ana Ferreira Vinha |
| author_sort | Carlota R. Marques |
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| description | <i>Carpobrotus edulis</i> (chorão-da-praia) is an edible and medicinal plant native to South Africa, currently distributed worldwide. Due to the urge for novel foods, invasive species can be considered valuable food supplies to accomplish the current goals of the 2030 Agenda. In this study, <i>C. edulis</i> fruits harvested in northern Portugal’s Atlantic coast were evaluated for proximate analysis (AOAC methods), mineral contents (ICP-MS), and fatty acid composition (GC-FID). Total phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP assays) were carried out by colorimetric methods. The fruits exhibited high amounts of carbohydrates (60.5%), ash (10.9%), and total crude protein (22.8%). A low content of total fat (4.5%) was observed. Linoleic acid (C18:2n6c) was the predominant unsaturated fatty acid (52.08%) among the 11 identified fatty acids. The highest amounts of total phenolics (311.7 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (50.43 mg CE/g) contents were observed in hydroalcoholic fruit extracts. The high concentration of bioactive compounds in the <i>C. edulis</i> fig is directly reflected in its antioxidant properties, enhancing the usefulness of this invasive species in food and pharmaceutical industries. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f9a29871b2e540fd9c039a27fbeee5f4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-f9a29871b2e540fd9c039a27fbeee5f42025-08-20T03:47:48ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-05-011510559910.3390/app15105599Characterization of Dietary Constituents, Phytochemicals, and Antioxidant Capacity of <i>Carpobrotus edulis</i> Fruit: Potential Application in NutritionCarlota R. Marques0Carla Sousa1Carla Moutinho2Carla Matos3Ana Ferreira Vinha4Faculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Rua Carlos da Maia, 296, 4200-150 Porto, PortugalFaculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Rua Carlos da Maia, 296, 4200-150 Porto, PortugalFaculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Rua Carlos da Maia, 296, 4200-150 Porto, PortugalFaculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Rua Carlos da Maia, 296, 4200-150 Porto, PortugalFaculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Rua Carlos da Maia, 296, 4200-150 Porto, Portugal<i>Carpobrotus edulis</i> (chorão-da-praia) is an edible and medicinal plant native to South Africa, currently distributed worldwide. Due to the urge for novel foods, invasive species can be considered valuable food supplies to accomplish the current goals of the 2030 Agenda. In this study, <i>C. edulis</i> fruits harvested in northern Portugal’s Atlantic coast were evaluated for proximate analysis (AOAC methods), mineral contents (ICP-MS), and fatty acid composition (GC-FID). Total phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP assays) were carried out by colorimetric methods. The fruits exhibited high amounts of carbohydrates (60.5%), ash (10.9%), and total crude protein (22.8%). A low content of total fat (4.5%) was observed. Linoleic acid (C18:2n6c) was the predominant unsaturated fatty acid (52.08%) among the 11 identified fatty acids. The highest amounts of total phenolics (311.7 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (50.43 mg CE/g) contents were observed in hydroalcoholic fruit extracts. The high concentration of bioactive compounds in the <i>C. edulis</i> fig is directly reflected in its antioxidant properties, enhancing the usefulness of this invasive species in food and pharmaceutical industries.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5599invasive plantchorão-da-praiahottentot fignutrientsbioactive compoundsantioxidant activity |
| spellingShingle | Carlota R. Marques Carla Sousa Carla Moutinho Carla Matos Ana Ferreira Vinha Characterization of Dietary Constituents, Phytochemicals, and Antioxidant Capacity of <i>Carpobrotus edulis</i> Fruit: Potential Application in Nutrition Applied Sciences invasive plant chorão-da-praia hottentot fig nutrients bioactive compounds antioxidant activity |
| title | Characterization of Dietary Constituents, Phytochemicals, and Antioxidant Capacity of <i>Carpobrotus edulis</i> Fruit: Potential Application in Nutrition |
| title_full | Characterization of Dietary Constituents, Phytochemicals, and Antioxidant Capacity of <i>Carpobrotus edulis</i> Fruit: Potential Application in Nutrition |
| title_fullStr | Characterization of Dietary Constituents, Phytochemicals, and Antioxidant Capacity of <i>Carpobrotus edulis</i> Fruit: Potential Application in Nutrition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characterization of Dietary Constituents, Phytochemicals, and Antioxidant Capacity of <i>Carpobrotus edulis</i> Fruit: Potential Application in Nutrition |
| title_short | Characterization of Dietary Constituents, Phytochemicals, and Antioxidant Capacity of <i>Carpobrotus edulis</i> Fruit: Potential Application in Nutrition |
| title_sort | characterization of dietary constituents phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity of i carpobrotus edulis i fruit potential application in nutrition |
| topic | invasive plant chorão-da-praia hottentot fig nutrients bioactive compounds antioxidant activity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5599 |
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