Analysis of Anthocyanin, Flavonoids, and Phenolic Acids in Tropical Bignay Berries

Methanolic extracts from bignay berries (Antidesma bunius) were examined for anthocyanin, flavonoids, and phenolic acids constituents and antioxidant capacity to determine their potential as a source of natural antioxidants that are an important component of healthy foods and beverages. Total phenolic content was evaluated according to the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure. The RP-HPLC-DAD method was used for the simultaneous analysis of flavonoids and phenolic acids in berries. The highest total anthocyanin content was also found in extracts derived from 'Sangkrow NO. 2' (141.94 mg/100 g dw), followed by 'Chomphupan' (133.59 mg/100 g dw), 'Fapratan' (118.56 mg/100 g dw), and 'Kumlhai' (101.86 mg/100 g dw). 'Maeloogdog' showed the highest content of total phenolics, followed by 'Kumlhai' (13.37 mg GAE/g dw) and 'Phuchong' (13.21 mg GAE/g dw). (+)-Catechin was the major flavonoid in bignay berries. 'Fapratan' also gave a highest contents of (+)-catechin (316.22 mg/100 g fw), (-)-epicatechin (39.15 mg/100 g fw), and rutin (25.54 mg/100 g fw), while 'Sangkrow NO. 4' had the highest resveratrol (7.46 mg/100 g fw) and quercetin (11.13 mg/100 g fw). Naringenin and kaempferol were found in highest content in 'Sangkrow NO. 8' (6.06 mg/100 g fw) and 'Sangkrow NO. 2' (0.30 mg/100 g fw), respectively. Luteolin was presented in some cultivars include 'Phuchong', 'Sangkrow NO. 3', 'Chomphupan', and 'Yaiswang'. Gallic acid was the main phenolic acid found in highest content in 'Sangkrow NO. 3' (37.40 mg/100 g fw). 'Fapratan' contained the highest level (27.06 mg/100 g fw) of ferrulic acid, while 'Kumlhai' contained the highest concentration (2.89 mg/100 g fw) of caffeic acid. The antioxidant activity was measured from 1/EC50 using the DPPH method. 'Sangkrow NO. 2' had the highest radical scavenging (83.26%) and antioxidant activity (0.32 mu g/mu g DPPH). The results suggest that methanolic extracts of bignay berries exhibit a potential for use as natural antioxidants.