title: Potential dietary sources of ellagic acid and other antioxidants among fruits consumed in Brazil: jabuticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba (Vell.) Berg).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the content of ellagic acid in fruits consumed by the Brazilian population, including native ones; (2) to further characterize rich sources in relation to ascorbic acid, phenolics contents and in vitro antioxidant capacity; and (3) to study the distribution and effect of ripening stage on ellagitannins content of jabuticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba). The content of free ellagic acid and ellagic acid derivatives such as ellagitannins was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ellagic acid was detected in 10 out of a total of 35 fruits analyzed. The content of free ellagic acid in fruits varied from 0.0028 to 0.085 g kg(-1) (FW) and total ellagic acid varied from 0.215 to 3.11 g kg(-1) (FW). All the seven fruits belonging to the Myrtaceae family evaluated in this study presented high contents of ellagitannins in their composition, with jabuticaba, grumixama and cambuci (all native from Brazil) showing the highest total ellagic acid contents. Jabuticaba, the most consumed in Brazil among those and already adapted to commercial plantations, contained concentrated phenolics compounds, including ellagitannins, in the peel. Anthocyanins (cyanidin derivatives) increased significantly through ripening of jabuticaba and were not present in the pulp or seeds. Samples collected from three different locations during summer, winter and spring had total ellagic contents varying from 1.88 to 3.31 g kg(-1) (FW). The decrease in ellagic acid content with ripening was more accentuated for pulp (eight times) compared to seeds (2.3 times) and peel (2.0 times).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results showed the potential of jabuticaba as dietary source of ellagic acid and reinforced consumption of the whole fruit by the population.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Compostos Bioativos de Alimentos, Departamento de Alimentos e Nutrição Experimental, FCF, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 580, Bloco 14, 05508-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucile T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Franco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Lajolo
authors.forename: Maria Inés
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Genovese
mesh_terms: D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000032:analysis; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D001938:Brazil; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004032:Diet; D004610:Ellagic Acid / Q000032:analysis*; D004777:Environment; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D047348:Hydrolyzable Tannins / Q000032:analysis; D027822:Myrtaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000032:analysis; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D000975:Antioxidants; D047348:Hydrolyzable Tannins; D059808:Polyphenols; D004610:Ellagic Acid; D001205:Ascorbic Acid