Analytical Methods Characterisation and quantification of xanthones from the aril and pericarp of mangosteens (Garcinia mangostana L.) and a mangosteen containing functional beverage by HPLC–DAD–MS n Judith Wittenauer a,b , Susanne Falk b , Ute Schweiggert-Weisz a,⇑ , Reinhold Carle b a Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, Department of Process Engineering, Giggenhauser Str. 35, D-85354 Freising, Germany b Hohenheim University, Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, Chair Plant Foodstuff Technology, Garbenstraße 25, D-70599 Stuttgart, Germany article info Article history: Received 20 April 2011 Received in revised form 19 January 2012 Accepted 16 February 2012 Available online 25 February 2012 Keywords: Xanthones Garcinia mangostana L. Aril Pericarp HPLC–DAD–MS n abstract Attention on mangosteen fruits as an ingredient of functional products is growing, particularly due to their rich content of xanthones. Whereas mangosteen products containing puree from the entire fruit of Garcinia mangostana L. are considered as novel food in the European Union, such products are widely used in the US due to their high antioxidant potential and traditional consumption in their countries of origin. With special emphasise on the xanthone profile and content, mangosteen pericarp, aril segments and a functional beverage made from whole mangosteens were compared. The fruit parts and the product showed a consistent pattern composed of mainly 7 xanthones, which could be unambiguously identified by LC–MS. Based on collision-induced dissociation experiments, fragmentation pathways of xanthones were suggested. The quantification of 7 derivatives contained in the arils, the pericarp and the functional beverage allowed an estimation of the amounts of bioactives which are ingested by the consumption of fresh mangosteen fruits and beverages produced thereof. Total xanthone content of the pericarp was the highest, revealing its potential as functional ingredient – followed by the aril segments and the functional beverage. It has been shown, that the content of bioactive xanthones in 90 mL of the beverage (i.e. the recommended daily dose) corresponds to about 0.9 g of pericarp and the aril segments (30 g) of a single mangosteen. Since residual parts of pericarp are always ingested after usual peeling of the fruit, xanthone concentrations exceeding those of the nutritional beverage have been ingested, thus allowing to establish a safe history of use. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Garcinia mangostana L. (Clusiaceae), commonly known as man- gosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree native to Malaysia. It bears dark purple or reddish fruits with a juicy pericarp containing 8– 10 aril segments of different widths. In the ripening stage, mango- steen pericarp can be easily torn open manually at the equator revealing the edible aril segments (Palapol et al., 2009). They are white, soft and juicy with a sweet, slightly acidic taste and a kernel inside. Because of their pleasant aroma, mangosteens are regarded by many as one of the most relishable fruits. Although mangos- teens are climacteric fruits that are picked from the tree when they are ready and continue to ripen, an import of the fruits proves to be difficult due to their perishable and fragile nature. Mangosteens show a limited shelf life with a beginning decay 14 days after pick- ing. Additionally, the ripe fruits are very sensitive towards impact damage (Kanchanapoom & Kanchanapoom, 1998). Common meth- ods to increase the storability and postharvest life of fruits like cool temperature and reduced concentrations of oxygen are not toler- ated by mangosteens. Under such conditions, mangosteens suffer from quality loss, commonly known as chilling injury. Several studies have shown, that storage of mangosteens at temperatures below 12 °C or an mechanical damage of the fruits induces lignin biosynthesis and lowered polyphenol content in the pericarp (Bun- siri, Ketsa, & Paull, 2003; Dangcham, Bowen, Ferguson, & Ketsa, 2008; Ketsa & Koolpluksee, 1993). Consequently, mangosteen peri- carp hardens to a leather-like consistence, and the purple colour of the fruits turns into brown (Ketsa & Atantee, 1998; Palapol et al., 2009). Therefore, to prevent hardening of the pericarp, processing of mangosteens is mostly realised in their cultivation areas. The traditional use of mangosteens is manifold. They are mainly eaten fresh as dessert. However, the production of wine, preserves, jam and puree from the arils and the whole fruit are further tradi- tional food applications (Bin Osman & Milan, 2006). A new poten- tial market for purees made from the whole fruit is the production of functional beverages, mostly combined with constituents of other fruits. Since mangosteen pericarp and the whole fruit have 0308-8146/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.02.094 ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 (0) 8161 491 431; fax: +49 (0) 8161 491 444. E-mail address: ute.weisz@ivv.fraunhofer.de (U. Schweiggert-Weisz). Food Chemistry 134 (2012) 445–452 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Food Chemistry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchem