Physicochemical and Antioxidant Activities of Some Pineapple Cultivars Grown in Nigeria

The physicochemical and antioxidant activities of four cultivars of pineapple grown in Nigeria including sugar loaf, smooth cayenne, MD-2 and local were determined using standard procedures. Average fruit weight ranged from 850g in the local cultivar to 1490g in smooth cayenne. Level of sweetness varied in the order: MD-2>sugar loaf>smooth cayenne>local at 17.2, 14.5, 11.3 and 7.0o Brix respectively. Total titratable acidity ranged from 0.51 in smooth cayenne to 1.0 in the local cultivar. Highest FRAP scavenging activities was recorded for the MD-2 (8.91mg/g) and the least for smooth cayenne (1.32mg/g) with significant variations in all the cultivars. The total antioxidant content of the cultivars is in the order: smooth cayenne>MD-2>sugar loaf>local at 5.71, 3.60, 3.18 and 2.2 6mg/g respectively. Total phenolic content was found to show wide variations at 5.21. 2.08, 1.81 and 1.62mg/g in the MD-2 Sugar loaf, smooth cayenne and local cultivars respectively. Significantly high values of DPPH inhibition was observed in the local cultivar (13.38%) compared to others. All the cultivars however showed vitamin C content in the range of 0.36-0.73 mg/g. The results indicated that pineapple cultivars grown in Nigeria are a rich source of antioxidants showing high levels of flavonoids, phenolic content and total antioxidant activities. Information from this study could be useful for the fruit processing industry and selection of superior desirable cultivars for commercial cultivationKeywords: Pineapple cultivars, antioxidants, physicochemical properties, flavonoid