Fruit-derived antioxidant compounds that are involved in the prevention of many degenerative diseases
have been investigated in several studies. To improve the knowledge of the antioxidant compound absorption
process, this study evaluated the antioxidant activity (AA) of Carica papaya (papaya), Artocarpus
heterophillus (jackfruit) and Annona marcgravii (araticum) extracts that were not digested and digested at
physiological pH using enzyme solutions (in vitro gastrointestinal digestion). The antioxidant activity was
measured by such methods as Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity and Oxygen radical absorbance
capacity (ORAC). Total phenol content (TPC) and flavonoid content (FC) were also evaluated. Decreased
TPC levels were observed in araticum and papaya extracts, whereas increased TPC levels were detected in
jackfruit. Increased FC levels and decreased AA was observed in papaya extract. However, the decreased
AA was not associated with the degradation of the analyzed compounds. Although ORAC is among the
best analytical chemical methods, it is necessary to evaluate AA by other methods, such as antioxidant
cellular or in vivo analysis. Moreover, the AA of other fruits (araticum and jackfruit) increased after being
digested. The increased AA of the digested jackfruit and araticum extracts can be associated with the
release of phenolic compounds after the digestion.