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Acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) is a tropical evergreen shrub that produces vitamin C-rich fruits. Increasing fruit nutrition is one of the main targets of acerola breeding programs. Genomic tools have been shown to accelerate plant breeding even in fruiting tree species, which generally have a long-life cycle; however, the availability of genomic resources in acerola, so far, has been limited. In this study, as a first step toward developing an efficient breeding technology for acerola, we established a chromosome-scale genome assembly of acerola using high-fidelity long-read sequencing and genetic mapping. The resultant assembly comprises 10 chromosome-scale sequences that span a physical distance of 1,032.5 Mb and contain 35,892 predicted genes. Phylogenetic analysis of genome-wide SNPs in 60 acerola breeding materials revealed 3 distinct genetic groups. Overall, the genomic resource of acerola developed in this study, including its genome and gene sequences, genetic map, and phylogenetic relationship among breeding materials, will not only be useful for acerola breeding but will also facilitate genomic and genetic studies on acerola and related species., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Kazusa DNA Research Institute.)

The manuscript provides an overview of recent scientific reports on the properties and range of health-promoting effects of acerola ( Malpighia emarginata DC) fruits and leaves. Acerola is a natural raw material that, in its unprocessed form, is known to be a rich source of vitamin C and polyphenolic compounds. For this reason, the consumption of acerola may provide a number of health-promoting benefits, particularly related to its strong anti-free radical effects. The review discusses anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects of acerola fruit and leaves as well as its therapeutic effects on selected physiological processes in the human system. Their biochemical mechanisms are also explained. Recommendations for the consumption of acerola in the prevention of inflammatory and free radical diseases are presented. The part of the article devoted to anticancer effects of acerola describes the possibilities of using the edible parts of this raw material to obtain products and preparations of potential use in cancer prevention and therapy.

Malpighia emarginata (Malpighiaceae), popularly known as "acerola", is a tropical and subtropical fruit native to the Americas. Despite its high vitamin C content, which gives it a high antioxidant property, soluble dietary fibers, such as polysaccharides, are also abundant constituents of acerola (10% of the dried fruit). The acerola cold-water soluble (ACWS) fraction presented anti-fatigue and antioxidant effects in vivo and in vitro. To infer further systemic effects of ACWS, this study aimed to investigate the antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects of ACWS in murine models of pain. In formalin-induced nociception, ACWS (0.1, 1, and 10 mg/kg) reduced only the inflammatory phase, and also (10 and 30 mg/kg) attenuated the acetic acid-induced writhing and leukocyte migration in the peritoneal cavity. The mechanical allodynia and paw edema induced by intraplantar injection of carrageenan were greatly reduced by ACWS (10 mg/kg). At the inflammatory pick induced by carrageenan (4 h), ACWS significantly reduced myeloperoxidase activity, TNF-α, IL-1β, and PGE 2 levels, and restored IL-10 levels. ACWS also exhibited antioxidant properties by decreasing lipid hydroperoxides content, increasing GSH levels, and restoring superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in the carrageenan model and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. Collectively, these results support the antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects of ACWS and reveal a promising candidate for the treatment of inflammatory pain conditions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Acerola ( Malpighia emarginata D.C.) is an exotic fruit with high agro-industrial potential due to its high content of ascorbic acid (AA), phenolic compounds, and carotenoid pigments. Acerola fruit is processed into concentrated juice or powder to be incorporated into food supplements. The ascorbic acid content of concentrated juice or powders must be controlled and well assessed. Therefore, the development of optimal methods and procedures for the rapid and accurate determination of the ascorbic acid content in juice concentrate and juice powder remains of considerable commercial interest. NMR spectroscopy is currently a powerful spectroscopic tool for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of molecules of all types and sizes. Firstly, this article presents the NMR-based metabolomic profiling of acerola juice and concentrate powder to describe and compare their composition. Thirty-six metabolites were identified. The AA over choline ratio and the NMR metabolomic profiles could be used for authentication in the future. Secondly, a rapid (8 min), reliable, and non-destructive method for the quantification of ascorbic acid by 1D 1 H-NMR spectroscopy was developed and validated. The LOD and LOQ were 0.05 and 0.15 mg/mL, respectively. These two approaches could be combined to better characterize ingredients derived from acerola and incorporated into food supplements.

Although Malpighia glabra Linn. fruits are well studied for their nutritional and medicinal prominence; little attention has been given to the leaves. Our study intends to investigate the leaves metabolic profile using Q-TOF LC/MS/MS (Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight-Liquid-Chromatography-Mass-Spectrometry), and to explore their in vivo hepatoprotective activity in rats using CCL 4 -induced hepatic damage model and silymarin as standard. Fifty metabolites were characterized, belonging to different classes; coumarins (capensine, daphnoretin, and scopoletin), flavonoids (mainly quercetin and apigenin glycosides), phenolic acids (cinnamic acid and quinic acid derivatives) and amino acids (adenosine, homoisoleucine, and phenylalanine).These compounds are detected in the leaves for the first time. The hepatoprotective activity at three doses (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg) was investigated. The dose of 800 mg/Kg showed the highest hepatoprotective effect as it reduced the elevated serum levels of ALT, AST, NO, and TNF-α liver content by 26, 24, 23, and 42%, respectively, it also remarkably increased the serum level of catalase by 102%. All the tested doses showed higher reduction in serum level of TNF-α compared to silymarin which suggests their strong anti-inflammatory potential. M. glabra leaves are revealed to be a rich source of secondary metabolites and proved to possess significant hepatoprotective potential. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The performed analyses in this study shows the richness of Malpighia glabra Linn. leaves in a plethora of beneficial and safe phytochemicals which are well-known to have a pivotal role in protection against different diseases including liver disorders. The carried-out investigations were done using Q-TOF LC/MS/MS analysis which is a reliable technique for the determination, characterization and identification of bioactive metabolites; in addition to evaluation of the hepatoprotective effect of the leaves. Therefore, this study may emphasize that Malpighia glabra Linn. leaves may have the same nutritional and medicinal importance as its fruits, and they could be incorporated into pharmaceuticals and foods instead of discarding them., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Understanding into acerola (Malpighia emarginata) molecular and biochemical bases is still obscure, despite it is one of the most important natural source of vitamin C for humans. Recently, our research group published the first data on acerola transcriptome generating valuable information to identify reference genes for RT-qPCR in this species. Hence, this study aimed to identify the most stably expressed genes based on acerola transcriptome data, and further to evaluate the suitability of F-box, U3, Merad50-ATPase, TGD4, NOB1, PA-RNA, RCC1, RBL and PGAL candidates for accurate gene expression normalization in leaf, flower and fruit at 12, 16 and 20 days after anthesis using RT-qPCR analysis. Three algorithms, geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper confirmed the expression stability of all nine candidate reference genes, whereas RefFinder consensually summarized a comprehensive gene ranking. Based on geNorm, the combination of the most stable reference genes RBL and U3 for leaf/flower group, TGD4, F-box and PGAL (fruit developmental stages or fruit/leaf), RCC1, PGAL and RBL (fruit/flower) and RCC1, RBL, TGD4 and PGAL (total samples) were required for accurate normalization. Moreover, the use of these reference genes to assess the expression profile of GMP1 and NAT3 genes confirmed the reliability of ranking and defined the best combination of genes recommended by geNorm and RefFinder. This work will benefit further RT-qPCR studies in these acerola organs by offering a foundation for accurate normalization of gene expression profiling.

Acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) is a fruit containing abundant ascorbic acid (AsA) and numerous functional phytochemicals. We previously reported that the intake of acerola juice increased the absorption of AsA in plasma of healthy Japanese subjects. The functional phytochemicals in acerola may influence the intestinal epithelial cells to increase the cellular uptake of AsA. Therefore, in this study, we compared the AsA uptake into Caco-2 cells between AsA alone and that in acerola juice at the same concentration using a human intestinal model. Caco-2 cells were incubated with 3 mM AsA and 3 mM AsA in acerola juice. Intracellular AsA contents gradually increased until 24 h upon incubation with both AsA alone and AsA in acerola juice; however, these contents when incubated with AsA in acerola juice, were significantly higher than those incubated with AsA alone at 2, 3, 4, 8, and 24 h. Furthermore, the mRNA expression level of the sodium-dependent vitamin C transporter (SVCT) 1 was significantly higher in the cells incubated with AsA in acerola juice than those incubated with AsA alone. Moreover, polyphenols such as cyanidin-3-glucoside chloride and quercetin enhanced the SVCT1 gene expression in Caco-2 cells. Collectively, these results suggest that acerola polyphenols enhances the SVCT1 gene expression in Caco-2 cells and promotes AsA uptake.

Acerola fruits contain abundant ascorbic acid (AsA). The gene expression levels of three upstream enzymes in the primary AsA biosynthesis pathway were correlated with AsA contents in the fruits of two acerola cultivars. Multiple overexpression of the enzymes increased AsA contents, suggesting their high expression is important for high AsA accumulation in acerola fruits and the breeding of AsA-rich plants. Abbreviations: AsA: ascorbic acid; PMI: phosphomannose isomerase; PMM: phosphomannomutase; GMP: GDP-d-mannose pyrophosphorylase; GME: GDP-d-mannose 3',5'-epimerase; GGP: GDP-l-galactose phosphorylase; GPP: l-galactose-1-phosphate phosphatase; GDH: l-galactose dehydrogenase; GLDH: l-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase.

This work examines the influence of glow plasma technology on vitamins, carotenoids, phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and color of acerola juice. The effects of nitrogen plasma treatment were observed at different operation conditions: flowrates (from 10 to 20 mL/min) and processing times (5 to 15 min). The study explored the suitability of glow plasma on 40 mL samples, which is considered a large sample of current plasma technology studies. Nitrogen glow plasma increased the content of vitamin A and carotenoids in acerola juice under specific processing conditions. The highest increase of vitamin A and carotenoids was found at gas flow rate of 10 mL/min and 10 min of treatment time. The effect of glow plasma on vitamin C (main vitamin in acerola juice) was not significant, maintaining the retention of vitamin C above 95% under all operating conditions that were studied. The phenolics content reduced by 30% due to reaction with reactive nitrogen species when the juice was treated at the most severe condition (gas flow rate of 20 mL/min and 15 min of treatment time). The antioxidant capacity was little affected by the reactive nitrogen species formed by N 2 glow plasma, which remained relatively constant at high plasma flow rate (20 mL/min) but reduced when lower gas flow rates were used (10 mL/min). The typical orange color of the juice improved due to the increase in free carotenoid content. In summary, this study showed that the operating conditions of glow plasma treatment could be adjusted to have a positive influence on vitamin A, carotenoids and color of acerola juice., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Agro-industrial wastes are promising sources of phytochemicals for the development of products to be used in health promotion and maintenance. In this study, extracts from acerola bagasse (AB) were characterized by HPLC, and evaluated according to its modulatory action on phospholipases A 2 and proteases involved in processes such as inflammation and blood clotting. Snake venoms were used as biological tools once they have high functional and structural homology between their enzymes and human enzymes. Two types of extracts were prepared from AB: aqueous and methanolic. These extracts, evaluated at different proportions (venom:extract, w:w), significantly inhibited the phospholipase activity induced by the venoms of Bothrops moojeni, Bothrops atrox (11% to 31%), and Crotalus durissus terrificus (C. d. t.) (11% to 19%). The hemolytic activity induced by the venoms of B. moojeni and C. d. t. was better inhibited by the methanolic extract (inhibition between 23% and 48%). Thrombolysis induced by the venoms of B. moojeni and C. d. t. was inhibited by both extracts, with inhibition ranging from 13% to 63% for the aqueous extract, and from 12% to 92% for the methanolic one. Both extracts increased the time of coagulation induced by the venoms of B. moojeni and Lachesis muta muta in 26 and up to 68 s. These inhibitory actions were related to the following phenolic compounds present in the extract of AB: gallic acid, catechin, epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, and quercetin. Additional studies are needed to confirm their potential use for nutraceutical purposes. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Agro-industrial wastes are promising sources of phytochemicals for the development of products that can be used by pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries. Studies report the use of the acerola bagasse extract in health improvement. However, its toxic-pharmacological characterization is still scarce. In this study, the extracts of acerola bagasse presented phenolic compounds that can modulate the activity of enzymes such as phospholipases A 2 and proteases that act on the coagulant/anticoagulant and thrombotic/thrombolytic activities and the break of phospholipids, decreasing the inflammation and platelet aggregation. Although the in vivo effects of the extracts are not fully understood, this study shed light upon the possibilities of their usage., (© 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

A fraction composed of an arabinan-rich pectin was extracted from acerola fruit (Malpighia emarginata) and named ACWS. This fraction presented 93% of total carbohydrate, relative molecular weight of 7.5×10 4 g/mol, galacturonic acid, arabinose, galactose, xylose and rhamnose in 52.1:32.4:7.2:4.8:3.5 molar ratio and had its structure confirmed by NMR analysis. The anti-fatigue activity of ACWS was evaluated using the weight load swim test on trained mice. ACWS was orally administered at doses of 50mg/kg, 100mg/kg and 200mg/kg for 28days. Plasma biochemical parameters, respiration of permeabilized skeletal muscle fibers, and GSH levels and lipoperoxidation in the brain (pre-frontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum and hypothalamus) were determined. ACWS could lengthen the swimming time, increase the plasma levels of glucose, triglycerides, lactate, and the GSH levels in the hippocampus at all tested doses. The mitochondrial respiratory capacity of the skeletal muscle was increased at middle and high ACWS doses. This study provides strong evidence that M. emarginata pectic polysaccharide supplementation has anti-fatigue activity, can modify the kinetics of energy substrates (carbohydrate and fat) mobilization and the respiratory capacity of the skeletal muscle, as well the antioxidant status in the hippocampus of ACWS treated animals., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

GDP-d-mannose pyrophosphorylase (GMP) is one of the enzymes that highly expressed in acerola plants. A promoter assay suggests the presence of a new cis-element in the -1087 to -1083 bp sequence of the MgGMP promoter. Moreover, cis-elements, present in the -1080 to -600 bp sequence of the MgGMP promoter, function as enhancers of MgGMP expression.

The main goal of this study was to investigate the analytical performances of a state-of-the-art device, one of the smallest dispersion NIR spectrometers on the market (MicroNIR 1700), making a critical comparison with a benchtop FT-NIR spectrometer in the evaluation of the prediction accuracy. In particular, the aim of this study was to estimate in a non-destructive manner, titratable acidity and ascorbic acid content in acerola fruit during ripening, in a view of direct applicability in field of this new miniaturised handheld device. Acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) is a super-fruit characterised by a considerable amount of ascorbic acid, ranging from 1.0% to 4.5%. However, during ripening, acerola colour changes and the fruit may lose as much as half of its ascorbic acid content. Because the variability of chemical parameters followed a non-strictly linear profile, two different regression algorithms were compared: PLS and SVM. Regression models obtained with Micro-NIR spectra give better results using SVM algorithm, for both ascorbic acid and titratable acidity estimation. FT-NIR data give comparable results using both SVM and PLS algorithms, with lower errors for SVM regression. The prediction ability of the two instruments was statistically compared using the Passing-Bablok regression algorithm; the outcomes are critically discussed together with the regression models, showing the suitability of the portable Micro-NIR for in field monitoring of chemical parameters of interest in acerola fruits., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Obesity is a multifactorial disease that comes from an imbalance between food intake and energy expenditure. Moreover, studies have shown a relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and obesity. In the present study, we investigated the effect of acerola juices (unripe, ripe, and industrial) and its main pharmacologically active components (vitamin C and rutin) on the activity of enzymes of energy metabolism in the brain of mice fed a palatable cafeteria diet. Two groups of male Swiss mice were fed on a standard diet (STA) or a cafeteria diet (CAF) for 13 weeks. Afterwards, the CAF-fed animals were divided into six subgroups, each of which received a different supplement for one further month (water, unripe, ripe or industrial acerola juices, vitamin C, or rutin) by gavage. Our results demonstrated that CAF diet inhibited the activity of citrate synthase in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. Moreover, CAF diet decreased the complex I activity in the hypothalamus, complex II in the prefrontal cortex, complex II-III in the hypothalamus, and complex IV in the posterior cortex and striatum. The activity of succinate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase was not altered by the CAF diet. However, unripe acerola juice reversed the inhibition of the citrate synthase activity in the prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus. Ripe acerola juice reversed the inhibition of citrate synthase in the hypothalamus. The industrial acerola juice reversed the inhibition of complex I activity in the hypothalamus. The other changes were not reversed by any of the tested substances. In conclusion, we suggest that alterations in energy metabolism caused by obesity can be partially reversed by ripe, unripe, and industrial acerola juice.

Background: This study aimed to produce and characterize edible films and coatings from fruit and vegetable residue (FVR) flour and potato peel (P) flour. Two coating approaches (immersion and film) were studied on the quality of acerolas., Results: Film-forming solutions (FFS) presented a viscoelastic behavior and a gelation process occurring at 70 °C. Maximum density (1.018 g cm(-3) ), viscosity (44.404 cP) and starch content were obtained for FFS based on 8% FVR flour with 4% P flour. This same film presented enhanced mechanical properties such as tensile strength and elongation at break (0.092 MPa and 36% respectively). Solubility of the films averaged 87%, demonstrating high hydrophilicity. Improved performance was obtained for film-packaged acerolas, which exhibited an increase in shelf life of 50% compared with control fruits. A lower loss of weight was observed for these samples by about 30-57% compared with control fruits, but minor modifications of pH, titratable acidity and soluble solid content occurred during storage., Conclusion: This study demonstrated the potential of FVR flour for edible coating and film formulation. Practical application on acerolas constituted a motivating route to evaluate and optimize this process; however, microbiological and sensory analyses are necessary to assess the material acceptability and safety., (© 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Malpighia glabra L, popularly known as acerola, is considered a functional fruit and therefore is taken to prevent disease or as adjuvant to treatment strategies, since the fruit is an undeniable source of vitamin C, carotenoids, and flavonoids. Acerola is a natural source of vitamin C, flavonoids, and carotenoids. Its chemical composition is affected by genetic uniformity of the orchards and environmental factors. Considering the extensive growth of the culture of acerola in Brazil as well as its widespread use, this study evaluates the genotoxic and antigenotoxic activity of acerola in relation to geographical origin using the comet assay in mice blood cells in vitro. No acerola samples showed potential to induce DNA damage, independently of origin. Also, for antigenotoxicity activity, only the acerola sample from São Paulo reduced DNA damage induced by hydrogen peroxide (by about 56%). The sample from Ceará showed good antioxidant activity by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay, in agreement with its higher rutin, quercetin, and vitamin C levels. Additional studies with other treatment regimens are necessary to better understand the impact of the complex mixture of acerola on genomic stability., (Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Acerola cherry is a world famous fruit which contains abundant antioxidants such as vitamin C, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolics. However, studies concerning bioactivity components from aerial parts of acerola (Malpighia emarginata) are scarce. In view of this, we have examined the constituents of aerial parts of acerola, and three new tetranorditerpenes acerolanins A–C (1–3) with a rare 2H-benz[e]inden-2-one substructure were isolated. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectral studies and acerolanin C was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Furthermore, three new compounds have been studied for their cytotoxic activity.

Examines the structures and functions of antioxidant polyphenols isolated from Acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC) fruit. Properties of acerola polyphenols associated with diabetes mellitus; Inhibitory effects of the compound on α-glucosidase and advanced glycation end product formation; Antioxidant activities of the compound.