Polyphenol, anthocyanin and antioxidant content in different parts of maqui fruits (Aristotelia chilensis) during ripening and conservation treatments after harvest

Maqui, Aristotelia chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz, Elaeocarpaceae, is a berry with one of the highest antioxidantactivities known, and which is exploited from the wild as raw material for nutraceutical products. Thepresent work studies factors that might affect fruit quality in further industrial processing and proposesHPTLC fingerprint methods for routine quality control of metabolites and radical scavengers. Polyphenoland anthocyanin concentrations in fruit were determined in cultivated maqui. Polyphenol concentrationdid not vary significantly during the ripening process, but differed from one growing season to another(2.1 and 2.8 g GAE/100 g dry weight). Anthocyanin concentration increased during maturation from 0.07to 1.13 g Cy-3-glu/100 g dry weight, whereas antioxidant ORAC value remained stable (194-241 molTE/g DW). Anthocyanins were concentrated only in the fleshy parts of ripe fruits (4.2 g Cy-3-glu/100 gDW), while other polyphenols were found in the seeds (2.1 g GAE/100 g DW). Polyphenol and anthocyanincontents did not decrease during desiccation, cooling or freezing processes. Desiccation approximatelydoubled sugar contents, from 24.5◦Brix in fresh to 50◦Brix in dry fruit. Frozen fruit retained their solublesolids content and anthocyanins, while polyphenols increased.