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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Microbiome and Metabolism Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #269589
Title: Bioactivities of acai (Euterpe precatoria mart.) fruit pulp, superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to Euterpe oleracea mart

Author
item KANG, JIE - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)
item XIE, CHENGHUI - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)
item SCHAUSS, ALEXANDER - Aibmr Life Sciences (AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR BIOSOCIAL AND MEDICAL RESEARCH)
item KONDO, MIWAKO - Brunswick Laboratories
item OU, BOXIN - Brunswick Laboratories
item JENSEN, GITTE - University Arkansas For Medical Sciences (UAMS)
item WU, XIANLI - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)

Submitted to: Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/17/2012
Publication Date: 8/1/2012
Citation: Kang, J., Xie, C., Schauss, A.G., Kondo, M., Ou, B., Jensen, G., Wu, X. 2012. Bioactivities of acai (Euterpe precatoria mart.) fruit pulp, superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to Euterpe oleracea mart. Food Chemistry. 133(3):671-677.

Interpretive Summary: There are two predominant palm tree species producing edible fruit known as "acai" found widely dispersed through the Amazon: Euterpe oleracea Mart. and Euterpe precatoria Mart. They differ from each other in terms of how the plants grow and phytochemical composition. E. oleracea (EO) has received considerable attention as a "super fruit" because of its high antioxidant capacity, while studies on E. precatoria (EP) remain rare. In this study, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of EP fruit pulps were evaluated by different chemical or cell-based assays. Total phenolics were also measured as an indication of total phenol content. For comparative purposes, EO fruit pulp was included. The antioxidant capacity of EP fruit pulp was determined to be superior to EO fruit pulp on every chemical based assay. EP fruit pulp showed a dose-dependent inhibition against oxidative damage in a cell-based assay. EP fruit pulp polyphenol-rich extracts also exhibited anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, carotenoids were quantified for the first time in EP.

Technical Abstract: There are two predominant palm tree species producing edible fruit known as "acai" found widely dispersed through the Amazon: Euterpe oleracea Mart. and Euterpe precatoria Mart. They differ from each other in terms of how the plants grow and phytochemical composition. E. oleracea (EO) has received considerable attention as a "super fruit" because of its high antioxidant capacity, while studies on E. precatoria (EP) remain rare. In this study, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of EP fruit pulps were evaluated by different assays including a series of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) based assays, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, the cell-based antioxidant protection in erythrocyte (CAP-e) assay, as well as, the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-'B) secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) assay. Total phenolics were also measured as an indication of total phenol content. For comparative purposes, EO fruit pulp was included. The antioxidant capacity of EP fruit pulp was determined to be superior to EO fruit pulp on every chemical based assay. In the CAP-e assay, EP fruit pulp showed a dose-dependent inhibition against oxidative damage with an IC50 of 0.167 g/L. In the SEAP reporter assay, EP fruit pulp polyphenol-rich extracts inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NF-kB activation by 23% (p < 0.05) at 20 ug/mL, whereas the extract of EO fruit pulp did not show a significant inhibitory effect at comparable doses. In addition, carotenoids were quantified for the first time in EP, driven by its high scavenging capacity against singlet oxygen assessed by ORAC-based SOAC assay.