Nutritional and Metabolomic Profiles of Solanum quitoense Lam. Fruit Fractions: Implications for Functional Food Development

Solanum quitoense Lam. (naranjilla or lulo) is a little-explored Andean fruit with high potential for functional and nutraceutical applications [1]. This study comprehensively characterizes the nutritional, phytochemical, and bioactive profiles of its peel, pulp, and seeds. Standard AOAC methods were used to determine the proximate composition, while atomic absorption spectroscopy and GC-FID enabled mineral and fatty acid quantification, respectively. Targeted HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSⁿ analyses identified and quantified 25 phenolic compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, and spermidine-derived phenolamides. Results revealed a distinct distribution of nutrients and bioactives across fruit parts. The seeds had the highest contents of protein (4.37 g/100 g fw), unsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid 44.9%), and spermidine derivatives (37.8 mg/g extract), supporting their antifungal capacity (MIC = 1.5 mg/mL against Aspergillus versicolor). The peel showed high levels of dietary fiber (16.5 g/100 g fw), α-tocopherol (7.9 mg/100 g fw), and flavonoids (14.2 mg/g extract), with strong antioxidant activity (OxHLIA IC₅₀ = 202 µg/mL, ∆t = 60 min). The pulp, rich in citric acid (4.2 g/100 g fw) and sucrose (2.7 g/100 g fw), also showed moderate antioxidant and antibacterial properties [2]. This is the first report to detail the spatial distribution of phenolamides in S. quitoense, demonstrating their concentration in seeds and linking them to bioactivity. The findings provide new insights for the valorization of naranjilla by-products and reinforce its candidacy for inclusion in food composition databases. These data support its use as a source of dietary fiber, antioxidants, and natural antimicrobials in functional food formulations, contributing to circular bioeconomy strategies.

References

1. Obregón, A.J., López, M.D., Angeles, D., JMBFS, 13 (2024) e10386.
2. Añibarro-Ortega, M., Dias, M.I., Petrović, J., Pereira, A., Soković, M., Barros, L., Pinela, J., Foods, 14 (2025) 2083.