Sugars, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity in the peel, pulp, and seeds of Passiflora tarminiana Coppens & V.E. Barney fruits

Passiflora tarminiana Coppens & V.E. Barney belongs to the family Passifloraceae and grows spontaneously in wild environments and home gardens, where it is appreciated by regional consumers for its sensory qualities. Nevertheless, its phytochemical profile as a natural source of bioactive compounds has received limited scientific attention. This study aimed to quantify sugars, ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC), as well as to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant capacity of different fruit fractions: peel, pulp, and seeds. Data were analyzed using a completely randomized design, one-way ANOVA (p ≤ 0.05), and Pearson correlation coefficients. The seed fraction showed the highest concentration of total sugars (746.99 ± 4.11 mg GE g-1 DW), predominantly reducing sugars, with values 4.0 and 6.3 times higher than those of the peel and pulp, respectively. The highest concentrations of ascorbic acid (120.95 ± 1.82 mg AA 100 g-1 DW) and total phenolic content (34.68 ± 0.71 mg GAE g-1 DW) were recorded in the pulp, whereas total flavonoid content was highest in the peel (15.33 ± 0.55 mg QE g-1 DW). The peel also exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity (648.00 ± 5.34 µmol Trolox g-1 DW, measured by ABTS), which was strongly associated with total flavonoid content. These results identify the peel as the fruit fraction of greatest interest for the recovery of antioxidant compounds from P. tarminiana fruits.