Phytochemical content, antioxidant potential, and fatty acid composition of dried Tunisian fig (Ficus carica L.) cultivars

This study reports the main phenolic compounds, as well as phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity in nine sun-dried fig cultivars with different skin color, originating from South-Eastern and Middle-Eastern Tunisia. For all evaluated parameters, a considerable variability with high significant differences was observed among the cultivars studied. Dark fruits exhibited a higher total polyphenol contents (201.77 mg GAE/100g DM in cultivar Saoudi Douiret) compared to green fruits (73.74 mg GAE/100g DM in cultivar Bayoudhi Douiret). Fatty acid methyl esters, identified by GC-MS, distinguished the presence of (C16: 0), (C18: 1), ((C18: 2) 9, 12), ((C18: 3) 9, 12, 15) and (C20: 0). Strong correlations between the amounts of total phenolics, phenolic acids, flavonoids, fatty acids and antioxidant capacity were found. A principal component analysis showed three groups of cultivars regarding their similarity level