Abstract

The species Elaeocarpus serratus is widely used as an ornamental tree and their fruits are still little explored as food. Thus, the objectives of this research were to determine the physical, chemical and antimicrobial properties of E. serratus fruit in order to evaluate its food potential. Therefore, this study evaluated the physical and chemical composition and the antimicrobial activity of E. serratus fruit. The biometry revealed an average pulp yield of 82.16%. The physical and chemical characteristics of the E. serratus fruit showed that the pulp has pH 2.84 and has a higher content of moisture and crude fiber. The determination of bioactive compounds showed that E. serratus fruit presented a good source of flavonoids, condensed tannins, carotenoids and Vitamin C. In the chromatographic analyses, the presence of β-amirin was observed as the major compound by gas chromatography. Among the main phenolic compounds, the presence of kaempferol and quercetin in the liquid chromatography method was evidenced. Additionally, ethanolic extract from E. serratus fruit showed antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella cholaresuis, Staphylococcus aureus and Xanthomonas campestris.

Key words: Antimicrobial, ceylon olive, food science, functional food, phytochemistry.