Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activities in Different Fractions of Mango Fruits (Mangifera indica L., Cultivar Tommy Atkins and Keitt)

This study aims to describe and compare the distribution of bioactive compounds, the fatty acids profiles, and the TEAC hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activities in different fruit fractions (pulp, peel, and kernel) of two mango cultivars (Tommy Atkins and Keitt). All fractions are sources of health-promoting bioactive compounds. Regardless of cultivars, pulp had the highest content of phytosterols (~150 mg/100 g dw), peels ranked first for pentaciclic triterpenes (from 14.2 to 17.7 mg/100 g dw), tocopherols, carotenoids, and chlorophylls, and kernels for phenolic com- pounds (from 421.6 to 1464.8 mg/100 g dw), flavonoids, condensed tannins, as well as hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activities. Differences between the two cultivars were evidenced for ascorbic acid, which showed the highest levels in the peels and kernels of Keitt and Tommy Atkins fruits, respectively. Similarly, the concentration of dehydroascorbic acid was higher in the pulp of Tommy Atkins than Keitt. The highest percentage of saturated fatty acids was observed in pulp (~42%) and kernels (~50%), monounsaturated fatty acids in kernels (up to 41%), and polyunsatu- rated fatty acids in peels (up to 52%). Our results add information to the current knowledge on nutraceuticals' distribution in different fractions of mango fruit, supporting its consumption as a healthy fruit and suggesting the great potential value of peels and kernels as sources of novel ingre- dients. Indeed, mango by-products generated during agronomic-to-industrial processing not only causes a significant environmental impact, but economic losses too. In this scenario, boosting re- search on conventional recovery methods offers eco-friendly solutions. However, green, novel bio- refinery technologies may offer eco-friendly and profitable solutions, allowing the recovery of sev- eral more profitable by-products, sustaining their continuous growth since many bioactive com- pounds can be recovered from mango by-products that are potentially useful in the design of inno- vative nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical formulations.