Tropical highland blackberry (Rubus adenotrichus Schltdl.) is a good source of antioxidants and contains
appreciable levels of phenolic compounds, mainly ellagitannins and anthocyanins. This study examined
the influence of three ripening stages on phenolic contents. Major anthocyanin pigments increased from
0.20 (red fruit) to 1.34 mg g1 fresh weight (FW) (fully ripe fruit), whereas ellagitannins and ellagic acid
derivatives dropped from 3.8 to 2.2 mg ellagic acid equivalents g1 (FW). Flavonols also dropped from 5.1
to 2.0 mg quercetin equivalents 100 g1 (FW). Consequently, values for total phenolic compounds ranged
from 5.8 to 5.2 mg gallic acid equivalents g1 (FW), showing no specific trend. Antioxidant activity
(H-ORAC) increased from 38.29 to 64.00 lmol of Trolox equivalents g1 (FW) during ripening. When
compared with other commercial cultivars, R. adenotrichus stands out for high H-ORAC value, although
comparatively it possesses low anthocyanin content and average total phenolic content.
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