Proximate composition, phenolic, and antioxidant properties of soursop fruit parts

Annona muricata L. (soursop fruit) is a seasonal plant with bio-geographical distribution in tropical and subtropical climates. This study evaluated the proximate, phenolic, and antioxidant properties of different parts of soursop fruit. The influence of oven and solar drying on phenolic and antioxidant activities of extracts (pulp, seed, and peel) were assessed. Proximate analysis on different parts of the soursop fruit showed the pulp to have high carbohydrate (32.9% & PLUSMN; 0.3) and moisture (19.1% & PLUSMN; 1.0). The seeds however contained higher crude fat (37.5% & PLUSMN; 1.2) and protein (25.0% & PLUSMN; 0.1) contents. Total phenolic content of the seeds (8.7 mgGAE g(-1) & PLUSMN; 0.1) was higher than that of the pulp and the peel (8.6 mgGAE g(-1) & PLUSMN; 0.1). The solar-dried fruit parts demonstrated superior antioxidant activity to the oven-dried parts. Extracts from the solar-dried soursop fruit samples, especially the seed, can serve as useful therapeutic ingredient for diet supplementation and could also be exploited for its high oil and protein contents.