Abstract

Fruits are high in polyphenols which are compounds associated with the protection against diseases such as diabetes and cancer. However, food processing including canning can leads to the loss of polyphenol in the fruits. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity of canned fruits commercially available in the local supermarkets in Malaysia. The TPC was determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu method while the antioxidant capacity was evaluated by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH assay) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP assay). Five types of different canned fruits with the total of 21 samples including longan, lychee, rambutan, pineapple and orange were selected for the analysis. The samples were analyzed in two forms which were, the homogenized (fruits and syrup) and syrup samples. Canned pineapples have the highest TPC for both homogenized (95.16±30.16 mg GAE/100 g) and syrup sample (108.62±33.88 mg GAE/100 g). For antioxidant capacity, canned pineapple also had the highest value for the homogenized sample (41.79±4.20 umol TE/100 g) while lychee was the highest (46.84±12.81 umol TE/100 g) for syrup sample assessed by DPPH assay. For FRAP assay, lychee was highest in antioxidant capacity for both homogenized sample (40.61±10.55 umol TE/100 g) and syrup sample (33.58±7.56 umol TE/100 g). A positive and significant (P < 0.001) correlation was found between TPC and antioxidant capacity (DPPH and FRAP). In conclusion, canned pineapple and lychee were the highest sources of polyphenol as compared to other types of canned fruits. Further investigation is warranted to determine the specific polyphenol present in the canned fruits.

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