Changes in Antioxidants and Minerals in Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) Fruits during Development Process

Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) fruits of different maturity stages are used in traditional medicine and modern beverage or herbal industry for its rich profile of more than 200 bioactive compounds. The present study was aimed to evaluate the changes in metabolites during Noni fruit development stages by spectrophotometeric methods and identification of individual compounds in phenolics and carotenoids groups. During fruit development polyphenol content was increased by 41.4%, tannin by 81.1%, flavonoids by 166.1%, carotenoids by 404.1%, anthocyanin by 40.8%. Micronutrients showed variable concentration during fruit development and highest Zn was observed at 10 days after fruit initiation (DAFI; 70.3 ppm), Cu at 50 DAFI (34.7 ppm), Mn at 130 DAFI (34.9 ppm), Na at 20 DAFI (0.37%), K at 90 DAFI (1.5%). Free amino acids, total sugar, reducing sugar and non-reducing sugar increased upto 120 DAFI while nitrate, oxalate and phytate contents were decreased significantly (p<0.05). HPLC analysis identified lutein, zeaxanthin, beta- carotene and beta- cryptoxanthin while epicatechin gallate, syringic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, vanillic Acid, naringin and cinnamic acid in Noni fruits. The information is useful for determining the fruit harvest stage of Noni fruit and showed the changes in predominant metabolites which can be used for investigating the synthesis pathways for bioactives in Noni.