Author(s): Spínola, Vítor ; Llorent-Martínez, Eulogio J. ; Gouveia, Sandra ; Castilho, Paula C.
Date: 2014
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/3223
Origin: DigitUMa - Repositório da Universidade da Madeira
Subject(s): Myrica faya; Phenolic compounds; HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn; Vitamin C; Antioxidant activity; .; Faculdade de Ciências Exatas e da Engenharia; Centro de Química da Madeira
Myrica faya is a fruit tree endemic of the Macaronesia (Azores, Madeira, and Canary Island), and its edible fruits are known as "amorinhos" (little loves), bright red to purple berries, used fresh and in jams and liquors. The phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of leaves and berries from M. faya are presented here for the first time. The screening of phytochemical compounds was carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography with online UV and electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS(n)). There were 55 compounds characterized, mostly galloyl esters of flavonoids and phenolic acids; 26 of the identified compounds (anthocyanins, isoflavonoids, lignans, terpenes, fatty acids, and phenylethanoids) have not been reported in Myrica genus so far. From the data presented here, it can be concluded that faya berries represent a rich source of cyanidin-3-glucoside, flavonoids, and vitamin C. In fact, higher antioxidant activity than that of the well-known Myrica rubra berries (Chinese bayberry) has been observed.
