4. Conclusions
Our data on gac fruit, a Thai cultivar, indicate that the gac fruit is
a rich source of phytochemicals, with high levels of carotenoids
and phenolic compounds, and high antioxidant activities. We have
also demonstrated that the different parts of the gac fruit had different
responses in terms of antioxidant activities. Most of the antioxidant
activity was found at the immature stage. The decrease in
antioxidant activity might be caused by the fact that the levels of
phenolics change considerably during the development stage.
The study indicated that gac fruit, as a valuable source of phytochemicals
(lycopene, beta-carotene, lutein, phenolic acids and flavonoid),
is an effective source of natural antioxidants. Our
findings now provide a valuable basis for developing fruit of gac
as valuable food additives to enhance human nutrition via their
phytochemicals and antioxidant activity.