Comparative Analysis of Phytochemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Fresh vs. Processed Fruits

Abstract

Post harvest processing methods such as thermal treatment, freezing, drying, and industrial canning have a significant impact on the nutritional integrity of fruits. This paper is a systematic review of and comparison of the phytochemical profiles of ten economically and nutritionally important fruit species (both fresh and processed) in terms of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ascorbic acid, carotenoid levels and anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity. Based on the known in vitro assay protocols such as DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays, we compared the effects that different processing modalities have on the bioactive compounds content and functional antioxidant properties differently. Findings indicate that thermal treatment invariably led to a 18-42 percent reduction in TPC and ascorbic acid content by 30-65 percent, and freezing retained more than 85 percent of phytochemicals. Lycopene bioavailability in tomato was enhanced by up to 35% following heat treatment. The highest overall retention rates were with freeze-drying. The implications of these findings include considerable implications to dietary recommendations, food industry processing standards and within the nutritional policy of the population health.