The noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia L.) has been consumed for millennia in the Polynesian folk medicine because of its nutritional and therapeutic benefits. The consumption of the noni fruit in other countries, including Brazil, has increased in recent years because of the biological activities attributed to the ingestion of noni juice, especially the anticancer effect. However, the chemical composition of the plant, which is related to its biological properties, is determined by its geographical origin and is influenced by climate and soil. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the pulp extracted from noni fruit grown in Maringá, state of Paraná, Brazil. The fresh pulp analysis showed 89.16% of moisture, 0.75% of ash, 2.10% of protein, 2.19% of fat and 5.81% of carbohydrates. The bioactive compounds analyzed were anthocyanins (1.39 mg.100 g-1 pulp), yellow flavonoids (13.01 mg.100 g-1 pulp), carotenoids (0.45 mg.100 g-1 pulp) and vitamin C (12.16 mg.100 g-1 pulp). For the analysis of total phenols and antioxidant activity, different extracts were prepared. The highest total phenolic contents were found in the aqueous extract (1143.56 mg EAG.100 g-1), followed by the ethanol extract (966.96 mg EAG.100 g-1), methanol/acetone extract (820.88 mg EAG.100 g-1) and methanol extract (306.33 mg EAG.100 g-1). The results for the antioxidant capacity were determined by the EC50, which is concentration of extract required to reduce 50% of the DPPH radical. The best results for the antioxidant capacity were found in the methanol/acetone extract (EC50 of 25.18 mg.mL-1) and in the methanol extract (EC50 of 25.96 mg.mL-1). The antioxidant activity of the fruit may be related to its vitamin C content, since the extracts with lower total phenolic content were those that had lower EC50 values.
noni pulp; chemical composition; phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity