Carotenoids profile and total polyphenols in fruits of Pereskia aculeata Miller

pereskia aculeata mill. (ora-pro-nóbis) is a native cactaceae from tropical america, whose leaves have high protein content. in brazil it is found in all territorial extension between the states of bahia and rio grande do sul. most studies have focused on chemical characterization of the leaves of this specie. the objective was to assess the carotenoids profile and the total polyphenols present in the fruits of p. aculeate. carotenoids were determined by hplc-pad (high performance liquid chromatography - photodiode array detector), total polyphenols were determined by folin-ciocalteu and vanillin methods. trans-β-carotene was the main carotenoid, followed by α-carotene, lutein and other minor carotenoids. it was found 64.9 ± 1.1 mg.100g-1 of gallic acid equivalent, 14.8 ± 0.2 mg.100g-1 of catechin equivalent. carotenoid identification of p. aculeate fruits are presented here by the first time and indicate that these fruits can be researched as source of bioactive substances, especially antioxidant and provitamin a carotenoids.