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The study aimed to characterize bananas in their different stages of ripeness, to determine the variables that demonstrate higher levels at each moment. The fruits were analyzed according to physical parameters: weight, texture, and diameter of the fruits; as well as physicochemical parameters: pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, and Ratio; and also biochemical parameters: total sugars, phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, pigments, antioxidant activity by DPPH and FRAP methods. The used samples were collected at the following maturation stages: 2, 4, 6, and 7 and determined according to the Von Loesecke Maturation Scale. In relation to the behavior of the parameters evaluated, the fruits showed significant reductions in relation to the physical parameters, while there were increases in relation to pH, titratable acidity, and soluble solids. The antioxidant and phenolic activities also showed reductions, which shows that the degradative process caused by ripening also causes reductions in these compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective was to correlate the impacts of the cooking process of fresh fruits (innatura) on the content of bioactive compounds (ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, carotenoids and anthocyanins, lycopene, and β‐carotene), on antioxidant activity (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] and ferric reducing antioxidant power [FRAP]), and in agro‐industrial parameters related to yield and quality in nine varieties of tomatoes. It was possible to verify, at the end of the experiment, from the data obtained that, for most of the analyzed bioactive parameters, there are positive correlations between them and both DPPH and FRAP antioxidant activity. The correlations that occurred between carotenoids, lycopene and β‐carotene, and between flavonoids and anthocyanins were emphatic. As for the performance of the tomato varieties, mainly in relation to bioactive compounds, both innatura and processed tomatoes were similar, that could be evidenced by the high positive correlations and demonstrated approximations. Practical applications: Bioactive compounds in food have been credited with the ability to exert influences such as increasing antioxidant activity that prevents cell deterioration, reducing the risks of various diseases, such as cancer, stimulating the immune system, balancing hormone levels, and also having antibacterial and antiviral activity. The responses to the behavior of these compounds in vegetables, when processed, and their interactions, support the moment of choosing a variety to be subjected or not to processing. The agro‐industrial parameters related to yield and quality, and also their correlations, are important because they show how the tomato varieties behave when subjected to thermal processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]