Objective:

To determine the content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of the banana passionfruit (Passiflora mollissima) and black cherry (Prunus serotina).

Materials and methods:

An analytical, experimental, longitudinal and prospective study. The black cherries and banana passionfruits were collected in the Cusco, Moquegua and Arequipa regions. The content of phenols and flavonoids were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and aluminum chloride method, respectively. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) techniques. Albino rats classified into a negative control group, a positive control group and four experimental groups were used to study the hepatoprotective effect of the fruits.

Results:

Banana passionfruits from the Cusco region (Quechua) showed the highest concentration of total phenols (584.94 ± 134.62 mg GAE/100 g) and flavonoids (445.62 ± 7.94 mg QE/100 g). Concerning the DPPH radical, the IC 50 value of banana passionfruits from the Arequipa region (Yunga) was found to be 0.41 ± 0.01 mg/mL. Banana passionfruits from the Cusco region (Quechua) showed the highest FRAP value (8.38 ± 0.32 mmol Fe2+/100 g). Black cherries from the Arequipa region (Yunga) had the highest concentration of total phenols (181.81 ± 34.1 mg GAE/100 g) and flavonoids (205.18 ± 77.8 mg QE/100 g). They also showed a significant antioxidant activity regarding the DPPH (2.1 ± 0.01 mg/mL), while the antioxidant capacity of black cherries from the Cusco region (Quechua), which was evaluated with the FRAP method, achieved a value of 1.59 ± 0.2 mmol Fe2+/100 g. The observed differences were statistically significant. Banana passionfruits showed a better hepatoprotective effect than black cherries.

Conclusions:

Banana passionfruits from the Cusco region (Quechua) are an important source of antioxidant compounds and show a high antioxidant capacity (FRAP), while black cherries from the Arequipa region (Yunga) have a high content of antioxidant compounds and a higher antioxidant capacity (DPPH).

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