Chemical fingerprint as nutraceutical quality differentiation tool in Asimina triloba L. fruit pulp at different ripening stages: an old species for new health needs

The pawpaw (Asimina triloba L. Dunal) is a fruit tree belonging to the Annonaceae family native throughout eastern United States. An assessment of the chemical composition and antioxidant efficacy may increase its utilization as a functional food. The aim of this preliminary study was to obtain a specific chemical fingerprint to evaluate the single antioxidant class contribution to total fruit phytocomplex. Compared with other fruits, total polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity of pawpaw were equivalent or even superior in some cases: total polyphenolic compounds ranged from 1837.2 mg·kg-1 to 2123.8 mg·kg-1, expressed as gallic acid equivalents, while antioxidant activity ranged from 3.45 mmol·kg-1 to 22.11 mmol·kg-1. Most of the compounds presented a strong positive correlation (R > 0.99) with antioxidant activity. Correlations between single compounds and antioxidant activity suggest that antioxidant components of pawpaw pulp have an effect on antioxidant capacity. Chemical fingerprint showed the prevalence of catechins (40.2%) and flavonols (33.3%) in pawpaw fruit. Chemical fingerprinting could be an important tool to assess the chemical composition and pawpaw fruit bioactivities, in order to improve the consumption of these fruits and to find out new sources of natural health-promoting compounds, used as functional food ingredients.