Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Feb 16;23(2):435.
doi: 10.3390/molecules23020435.

Dynamic Changes in Phenolics and Antioxidant Capacity during Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) Kernel Ripening and Its Phenolics Profiles

Xiaodong Jia  1   2 , Huiting Luo  3 , Mengyang Xu  4 , Min Zhai  5 , Zhongren Guo  6 , Yushan Qiao  7 , Liangju Wang  8
Affiliations

Dynamic Changes in Phenolics and Antioxidant Capacity during Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) Kernel Ripening and Its Phenolics Profiles

Xiaodong Jia et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) kernels have a high phenolics content and a high antioxidant capacity compared to other nuts-traits that have attracted great interest of late. Changes in the total phenolic content (TPC), condensed tannins (CT), total flavonoid content (TFC), five individual phenolics, and antioxidant capacity of five pecan cultivars were investigated during the process of kernel ripening. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadruple time-of-flight mass (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS) was also used to analyze the phenolics profiles in mixed pecan kernels. TPC, CT, TFC, individual phenolics, and antioxidant capacity were changed in similar patterns, with values highest at the water or milk stages, lowest at milk or dough stages, and slightly varied at kernel stages. Forty phenolics were tentatively identified in pecan kernels, of which two were first reported in the genus Carya, six were first reported in Carya illinoinensis, and one was first reported in its kernel. The findings on these new phenolic compounds provide proof of the high antioxidant capacity of pecan kernels.

Keywords: Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch; antioxidant capacity; phenolics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in total phenolic content (a); condensed tannins (b); and total flavonoid content (c) during the ripening of pecan kernels. Each value is a mean ± standard deviation of triplicate analysis results of different samples. Means with different letters in each line were significantly different according to the multiple-range Tukey’s test at p < 0.05.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in DPPH (a) and ABTS (b) during the ripening of pecan kernels. Each value is a mean ± standard deviation of triplicate analysis results of different samples. Means with different letters in each line were significantly different according to the multiple-range Tukey’s test at p < 0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Structures of ellagitannins tentatively identified in pecan kernels, including peaks 3, 6, 10, 15, 16, and 26.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Changes in five representative individual phenolic contents during the ripening of pecan kernels. Pawnee (A); Stuart (B); Wichita (C); Jinhua (D); and Shaoxing (E). Black lines on the top of different columns of different images are trend lines of different phenolics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Yao X.H., Chang J., Wang K.L. The Research Proceeding of Pecan in China. 1st ed. Science Press; Beijing, China: 2014. pp. 70–84.
    1. Zhang R., Peng F., Li Y. Pecan production in China. Sci. Hortic. (Amsterdam) 2015;197:719–727. doi: 10.1016/j.scienta.2015.10.035. - DOI
    1. Wu X., Beecher G.R., Holden J.M., Haytowitz D.B., Gebhardt S.E., Prior R.L. Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities of common foods in the United States. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2004;52:4026–4037. doi: 10.1021/jf049696w. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gu L., Kelm M.A., Hammerstone J.F., Beecher G., Holden J., Haytowitz D., Gebhardt S., Prior R.L. Concentrations of proanthocyanidins in common foods and estimations of normal consumption. J. Nutr. 2004;134:613–617. doi: 10.1093/jn/134.3.613. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ortiz-Quezada A.G., Lombardini L., Cisneros-Zevallos L. Pecan Nut Cultivars and Antioxidants. Elsevier Inc.; Amsterdam, The Netherlands: 2011. Antioxidants in pecan nut cultivars [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] pp. 881–889.

LinkOut - more resources