Phenolic compounds profile and main nutrients parameters of two underestimated non-conventional edible plants: Pereskia aculeata Mill. (ora-pro-nóbis) and Vitex megapotamica (Spreng.) Moldenke (tarumã) fruits

Non-conventional edible plants are widely present in Brazil. Several fruits of spontaneous occurrence are underestimated and scarcely used by the population. The increase in the knowledge about these plants, especially regarding the bioactive compounds present in this species, is important to increase its use, cultivation, and propagation. Ora-pro-nóbis (Pereskia aculeata) and tarumã (Vitex megapotamica) fruits are two examples. In the present report, the phenolic compounds profile was determined, using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS). Other assays were also performed such as protein content, fat, humidity, and calcium. The results show that tarumã fruits are rich in several phenolic compounds, especially p-coumaric acid (9.3-61.8 mg g-1), isoquercitrin (14.6-55.5 mg g-1), naringenin (7.5-30.1 mg g-1), and caffeic acid (12.7-18.3 mg g-1). Ora-pro-nóbis fruits have showed high contents of caffeic acid (4.9 mg kg-1), rutin (3.9 mg kg-1), and hesperidin (1.7 mg kg-1), and their seeds, specifically, have showed relevant content for galangin (1.1 mg kg-1) and ferulic acid (0.3 mg kg-1).