Profiles of phenolic compounds and purine alkaloids during the development of seeds of theobroma cacaocv. Trinitario

Pereira-Caro, G., Borges, G., Nagai, C., Jackson, M.C., Yokota, T., Crozier, A. and Ashihara, H. (2013) Profiles of phenolic compounds and purine alkaloids during the development of seeds of theobroma cacaocv. Trinitario. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 61(2), pp. 427-434. (doi: 10.1021/jf304397m)

Abstract

Changes occurring in phenolic compounds and purine alkaloids, during the growth of seeds of cacao (Theobroma cacao) cv. Trinitario, were investigated using HPLC-MS/MS. Extracts of seeds with a fresh weight of 125, 700, 1550, and 2050 mg (stages 1–4, respectively) were analyzed. The phenolic compounds present in highest concentrations in developing and mature seeds (stages 3 and 4) were flavonols and flavan-3-ols. Flavan-3-ols existed as monomers of epicatechin and catechin and as procyanidins. Type B procyanidins were major components and varied from dimers to pentadecamer. Two anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-O-arabinoside and cyanidin-3-O-galactoside, along with the N-phenylpropernoyl-l-amino acids, N-caffeoyl-l-aspartate, N-coumaroyl-l-aspartate, N-coumaroyl-3-hydroxytyrosine (clovamide), and N-coumaroyltyrosine (deoxyclovamide), and the purine alkaloids theobromine and caffeine, were present in stage 3 and 4 seeds. Other purine alkaloids, such as theophylline and additional methylxanthines, did not occur in detectable quantities. Flavan-3-ols were the only components to accumulate in detectable quantities in young seeds at developmental stages 1 and 2.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Borges, Dr Gina and Crozier, Professor Alan
• Authors: Pereira-Caro, G., Borges, G., Nagai, C., Jackson, M.C., Yokota, T., Crozier, A., and Ashihara, H.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
• ISSN: 0021-8561
• ISSN (Online): 1520-5118
• Published Online: 06 December 2012