Anthocyanin and other phenolic compounds in Ceylon gooseberry (Dovyalis hebecarpa) fruits

Ceylon gooseberry is a deep-purple exotic berry that is being produced in Brazil with great market potential. This work aimed to determine major phenolic compounds in this specie by HPLC–PDA–ESI/MS. Samples were collected in two different seasons. Pulp and skin were analyzed separately. Non-acylated rutinoside derivatives of delphinidin (∼60–63%) and cyanidin (∼17–21%) were major anthocyanins tentatively identified. All anthocyanins had higher concentration in skin than in pulp (64–82 and 646–534 mg of cyaniding-3-glucoside equivalents/100 g skin and pulp, respectively). Moreover, anthocyanin profile changed between sampling dates (p < 0.05). Mainly for delphinidin-3-rutinoside which could be a result of season variation. In this specie, non-anthocyanin polyphenols represent less than 35% of total extracted polyphenols. The tentative identification proposed a flavonol and three ellagitannins as major compounds of the non-anthocyanin phenolics fraction. Finally, anthocyanin is the major phenolic class in this fruit and its composition and content are significantly affected by season.