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.