Frutales silvestres infrautilizados de la Región Pacífica colombiana: estudio del contenido de fenoles y la capacidad antioxidante

The Colombian Pacific Region harbors an extraordinary diversity of wild fruit species that remain poorly studied from phytochemical and functional perspectives. In this study, the taxonomic, phytochemical, and antioxidant characteristics of 17 fruit species belonging to the families Apocynaceae, Arecaceae, Bignoniaceae, Clusiaceae, Ebenaceae, Fabaceae, Melastomataceae, Myrtaceae, Rubiaceae, and Vitaceae were evaluated. All species were collected in the departments of Chocó and Valle del Cauca to explore their potential as sources of bioactive compounds and natural colorants. The fruits were subjected to ultrasound-assisted extraction using a heterogeneous chloroform:methanol:water mixture (2:1:1, v/v/v), followed by preliminary phytochemical screening, spectrophotometric determination of total phenolic content (TPC), total catechin content (TCC), and total flavonol content (TFC), evaluation of antioxidant capacity against DPPH• and ABTS•+ radicals, and chromatographic characterization by HPLC-DAD. The results revealed marked chemical variability among species, with phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and tannins predominating. Chrysochlamys membranacea, Chrysochlamys allenii, Mouriri pachyphylla, and Eugenia multirimosa stood out for their high phenolic and catechin contents and exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity. Positive correlations were observed between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (r > 0.90), suggesting that phenolic compounds may be the major contributors to radical-scavenging activity. HPLC-DAD analysis revealed distinct phenolic profiles, mainly characterized by derivatives of phenolic acids, catechins, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. Overall, these results indicate that underutilized wild fruits from the Colombian Pacific Region represent a poorly explored reservoir of bioactive metabolites and highlight several promising species for potential applications as functional ingredients, natural antioxidants, and plant-derived colorants.