Can Infrared Spectroscopy Detect Adulteration of Kakadu Plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) Dry Powder with Synthetic Ascorbic Acid?

Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell., also known as the Kakadu plum, is an important food plant endemic to northern Australia. The fruit has substantial commercial demand as it contains sought-after antioxidants and the greatest concentration of ascorbic acid of any fruit known worldwide. Better knowledge of its reproductive biology is required to increase fruit production from wild stands and sustain commercial demand. Experiments demonstrate that T. ferdinandiana is andromonoecious and self-incompatible, relying on cross-pollination for successful fruit production. Wild stocks of this species are pollen limited, likely caused by pollinator satiation in dense, synchronously flowering stands. These findings indicate that enhanced fruit production requires supplementation of suitable pollinators in wild stands.

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Determination of Ellagic Acid, Punicalagin, and Castalagin from Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu plum) by a Validated UHPLC-PDA-MS/MS Methodology

Food Analytical Methods ◽

10.1007/s12161-021-02063-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Saleha Akter ◽

Hung Hong ◽

Michael Netzel ◽

Ujang Tinggi ◽

Mary Fletcher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ellagic Acid ◽

Kakadu Plum ◽

Terminalia Ferdinandiana

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The Use of a Micro Near Infrared Portable Instrument to Predict Bioactive Compounds in a Wild Harvested Fruit—Kakadu Plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana)

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21041413 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 1413

Author(s):

Eshetu Bobasa ◽

Anh Dao T. Phan ◽

Michael Netzel ◽

Heather E. Smyth ◽

Yasmina Sultanbawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin C ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Ellagic Acid ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Wide Range ◽

Fruit Samples ◽

Nutritional Characteristics ◽

Analytical Quantification ◽

Kakadu Plum ◽

Terminalia Ferdinandiana

Kakadu plum (KP; Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell, Combretaceae) is an emergent indigenous fruit originating from Northern Australia, with valuable health and nutritional characteristics and properties (e.g., high levels of vitamin C and ellagic acid). In recent years, the utilization of handheld NIR instruments has allowed for the in situ quantification of a wide range of bioactive compounds in fruit and vegetables. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of a handheld NIR spectrophotometer to measure vitamin C and ellagic acid in wild harvested KP fruit samples. Whole and pureed fruit samples were collected from two locations in the Kimberley region (Western Australia, Australia) and were analysed using both reference and NIR methods. The standard error in cross validation (SECV) and the residual predictive deviation (RPD) values were 1.81% dry matter (DM) with an RPD of 2.1, and 3.8 mg g−1 DM with an RPD of 1.9 for the prediction of vitamin C and ellagic acid, respectively, in whole KP fruit. The SECV and RPD values were 1.73% DM with an RPD of 2.2, and 5.6 mg g−1 DM with an RPD of 1.3 for the prediction of vitamin C and ellagic acid, respectively, in powdered KP samples. The results of this study demonstrated the ability of a handheld NIR instrument to predict vitamin C and ellagic acid in whole and pureed KP fruit samples. Although the RPD values obtained were not considered adequate to quantify these bioactive compounds (e.g., analytical quantification), this technique can be used as a rapid tool to screen vitamin C in KP fruit samples for high and low quality vitamin C.

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Structure analysis of ascorbic acid using near-infrared spectroscopy and generalized two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy

Journal of Molecular Structure ◽

10.1016/j.molstruc.2006.01.028 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 794 (1-3) ◽

pp. 12-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Hao Liu ◽

Bingren Xiang ◽

Lingbo Qu

Keyword(s):

Ascorbic Acid ◽

Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Structure Analysis ◽

Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Correlation Spectroscopy ◽

Two Dimensional

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Effects of Fruit Maturity on Physicochemical Properties, Sugar Accumulation and Antioxidant Capacity of Wild Harvested Kakadu Plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana)

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/foods_2020-07819 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 48

Author(s):

Anh Dao Thi Phan ◽

Maral Seidi Damyeh ◽

Saleha Akter ◽

Mridusmita Chaliha ◽

Michael E. Netzel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Free Radical ◽

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Soluble Sugars ◽

Radical Scavenging ◽

Free Radical Scavenging ◽

Maturity Stages ◽

Radical Scavenging Capacity ◽

Scavenging Capacity ◽

Kakadu Plum ◽

Terminalia Ferdinandiana

Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu plum), belonging to the family Combretaceae, is endemic to Australia and has a long history of traditional medicinal applications and food cuisine by the Australian Indigenous people. This study investigated the effects of maturity stages on the morphology, physicochemical parameters (total soluble solids (TSS), total acid content (TAC), and pH), soluble sugar profile and antioxidant capacity of Kakadu plum (KP) fruits that were wild harvested from different trees and classified into four different maturity stages (immature to mature). TSS and TAC were determined by standard assays/procedures, main sugars by UHPLC–MS/MS and antioxidant capacity (total phenolic content (TPC) and DPPH free radical scavenging capacity) by spectrophotometry. The results showed that soluble sugars (glucose, sucrose and fructose) ranging from 1.3 to 17.7% dry weight (DW), TSS (17.0–52.7% DW) and TAC (1.3–6.7% DW) increased with maturity. However, antioxidant capacity (TPC in the range of 7.4–21.9% DW and DPPH free radical scavenging capacity from 22 to 76% inhibition at the extract concentration of 20 g·L−1) did not follow the same trend as the one observed for soluble sugars, TSS and TAC. These differences were associated with the tree-to-tree variability as a consequence of the wild harvest condition. This study provides important information to both the KP industry and Indigenous enterprises regarding the selection of the appropriate maturity stage to harvest KP fruit to target for different markets (e.g., low-sugar vs. high-sugar fruit).

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Synthesis and Optimization of Chitosan Nanoparticles Loaded with L-Ascorbic Acid and Thymoquinone

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano8110920 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 920 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Nurhanisah Othman ◽

Mas Masarudin ◽

Cha Kuen ◽

Nurul Dasuan ◽

Luqman Abdullah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Ascorbic Acid ◽

Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Encapsulation Efficiency ◽

High Surface ◽

Chitosan Nanoparticles ◽

Polydispersity Index ◽

Ionic Gelation ◽

Surface Areas ◽

Efficient Delivery

The combination of compounds with different classes (hydrophobic and hydrophilic characters) in single chitosan carrier is a challenge due to the hydrophilicity of chitosan. Utilization of l-ascorbic acid (LAA) and thymoquinone (TQ) compounds as effective antioxidants is marred by poor bioavailability and uptake. Nanoparticles (NPs) solved the problem by functioning as a carrier for them because they have high surface areas for more efficient delivery and uptake by cells. This research, therefore, synthesized chitosan NPs (CNPs) containing LAA and TQ, CNP-LAA-TQ via ionic gelation routes as the preparation is non-toxic. They were characterized using electron microscopy, zetasizer, UV–VIS spectrophotometry, and infrared spectroscopy. The optimum CNP-LAA-TQ size produced was 141.5 ± 7.8 nm, with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.207 ± 0.013. The encapsulation efficiency of CNP-LAA-TQ was 22.8 ± 3.2% for LAA and 35.6 ± 3.6% for TQ. Combined hydrophilic LAA and hydrophobic TQ proved that a myriad of highly efficacious compounds with poor systemic uptake could be encapsulated together in NP systems to increase their pharmaceutical efficiency, indirectly contributing to the advancement of medical and pharmaceutical sectors.

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Antimicrobial Activity and Ellagitannins from Terminalia Ferdinandiana

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/proceedings2019036081 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 81

Author(s):

Akter ◽

Hong ◽

Netzel ◽

Tinggi ◽

Osborne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Activity ◽

Free Radical ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Radical Scavenging Activity ◽

Radical Scavenging ◽

Free Radical Scavenging ◽

Total Phenolic ◽

Agar Disc ◽

Kakadu Plum ◽

Terminalia Ferdinandiana

Extracts were prepared from Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu plum) fruits, leaves, seedcoats, and barks using accelerated solvent extraction with methanol, ethanol, water, acetone, and hexane. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and by determining the total phenolic content (TPC). Methanol fruit extracts had the strongest free radical scavenging activity and the highest TPC (12 g/100 g DW). The antimicrobial activity of all extracts (except hexane) was analysed by agar disc diffusion. Fruits and leaves showed larger inhibition zones against foodborne bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared to seedcoats and barks. The minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentration of the extracts ranged from 1.0 to 3.0 mg/mL against the tested microorganisms. Scanning electron microscopy images of bacteria treated with the extracts showed morphological changes consistent with cell death. A new UHPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of punicalagin and castalagin, bioactive ellagitannins, was developed and validated. Punicalagin contents in the fruits and leaves were 74 and 49 mg/100 g DW whilst castalagin contents were 1.1 and 0.8 mg/100 g DW. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report about punicalagin and castalagin concentrations in Kakadu plum fruits and leaves. These initial findings are very promising in regards to the potential use of Kakadu plum fruit and leaf extracts as natural preservatives in the food industry.

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