Bioactive Contents, Antioxidant Activities, and Storage Stability of Commercially-Sold Baobab Fruit (Adansonia digitata L) Juice in Malawi

Baobab fruit (Adansonia digitata L) is rich in micronutrients and bioactive compounds, which are vital for healthy living. Boabab juice are produced locally and stored under different storage conditions in Malawi. However, storage of baobab juice under certain conditions can lead to degradation of its bioactive compounds. This study therefore investigated the bioactive compounds in Commercial baobab juice (CBJ) in Malawi, and determined the stability of the compounds under different storage conditions. The organic acids, flavan-3-ol aglycones, total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of the CBJ were determined using standard methods. The stability of the bioactive compounds in CBJ were determined in the samples stored at 6, 15 and 30 ⁰C for 49 days. The ferric reducing antioxidant power of CBJ was 71.27±.04 TEAC/100 g FW, and the ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) was 112.62± 0.45 mg TEAC/100 g FW. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl was 80.94 ± 0.72 %. CBJ bioactive compounds are stable at 15 ⁰C, and contains high concentrations of total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activities and procyanidin B2 . In conclusion, commercially sold baobab juice in Malawi is rich in bioactive compounds and have high antioxidant properties, thus, regular consumption of the juice can improve the health and wellbeing of Malawians. Information provided in this study will provide consumers with nutritional profile of CBJ and help juice processors establish adequate storage conditions for the juice

Development and application of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantification of amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside, in food

Amygdalin is a member of the cyanogenic glycoside group of plant secondary metabolites capable of generating hydrogen cyanide under certain conditions. As a consequence, the cyanogenic glycosides have been associated with incidents of acute and subacute food poisoning. Specific antibodies were raised against an amygdalin-bovine serum albumin immunogen synthesized using a novel approach. The antibodies were used in a microtitration plate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantification, for the first time, of amygdalin in commercially available foods. Correlation of results with high-performance liquid chromatography was very high (r = 0.983). The limit of detection of the immunoassay was 200 ± 0.05 pg mL(-1), and the 50% inhibitory concentration of amygdalin was 50 ± 0.02 ng mL(-1), making the ELISA particularly sensitive

Determination of the phenolic profile of peach (Prunus persica L.) kernels using UHPLC-LTQ OrbiTrap MS/MS technique

Recently, search for new natural sources of compounds with health-enhancing properties prompted interest in fruit kernels. This paper aims to assess peach kernels as a source of nutritionally important compounds, such as phenolic compounds. A total of 25 kernels from various peach germplasm differing in origin and ripening time were characterized by their phenolic profiles. Ultra-high-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Linear Trap Quadrupole and OrbiTrap MS/MS hybrid mass spectrometry was used for determination of 76 different organic compounds. The content of identified phenolic compounds indicated peach kernel as reliable source of bioactive substances with prevalent concentrations of catechin and several phenolic acids. Statistical procedures confirm that phenolic compounds could be used as phytochemical biomarkers to differentiate peach kernel samples belonging to different cultivars/genotypes according to their origin and ripening time. The CATPCA confirmed the possibility of application of chemical profiles presented only as categorical variables for classification