Author's personal copy Comparison of bioactive compounds, antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of Mon Thong durian during ripening Ratiporn Haruenkit a , Sumitra Poovarodom b , Suchada Vearasilp c , Jacek Namiesnik d , Magda Sliwka-Kaszynska e , Yong-Seo Park f , Buk-Gu Heo g , Ja-Yong Cho h , Hong Gi Jang g , Shela Gorinstein i, * a Faculty of Agricultural Industry, King Mondkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand b Department of Soil Science, King Mondkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand c Post Harvest Technology Research Institute, Chiang Mai University, Chiangmai 50200, Thailand d Department of Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Faculty, Gdansk University of Technology, 80 952 Gdansk, Poland e Department of Organic Chemistry, Chemical Faculty, Gdansk University of Technology, 80 952 Gdansk, Poland f Department of Horticultural Science, Mokpo National University, Muan, Jeonnam, South Korea g Naju Foundation of Natural Dyeing Culture, Naju 520-931, South Korea h Department of Medicated Diet and Food Technology, Jeonnam Provincial College, Damyang 517-802, South Korea i Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel article info Article history: Received 12 March 2009 Received in revised form 7 May 2009 Accepted 11 May 2009 Keywords: Mon Thong durian Ripening Bioactive compounds Fatty acids Antioxidant Antiproliferative activities abstract The aim of this investigation was to compare the bioactive and nutrient compounds, fatty acids, and anti- oxidant and antiproliferative activities of Mon Thong durian at different stages of ripening. It was found that the total polyphenols, flavonoids, flavanols, ascorbic acid, tannins and the antioxidant activity deter- mined by four assays (CUPRAC, DPPH, ABTS and FRAP) differed in immature, mature, ripe and overripe samples. The content of polyphenols and antioxidant activity were the highest in overripe durian, flavo- noids were the highest in ripe durian, and flavanols and antiproliferative activity were the highest in mature durian (p < 0.05). FTIR spectra of polyphenols, HPLC profiles of fatty acids, the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities can be used as indicators to characterise different stages of durian ripening. Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Durian (Durio zibethinus Murray) is one of the most important seasonal fruits in tropical Asia. Durian cultivars are derived from D. zibethinus Murray, originating in the Malay Peninsula (Voon, Hamid, Rusul, Osman, & Quek, 2007). The importance of this fruit is mostly connected with its composition and antioxidant properties (Arancibia-Avila et al., 2008; Leontowicz et al., 2008; Toledo et al., 2008). It has been reported that durian has addi- tional valuable health properties: polysaccharide gel, extracted from the fruit hulls, reacts on immune responses and is respon- sible for cholesterol reduction (Chansiripornchai, Chansiripornc- hai, & Pongsamart, 2008). The glycaemic index of durian was the lowest in comparison with papaya and pineapple (Daniel, Aziz, Than, & Thomas, 2008). The heath properties of durian are based not only on the antioxidant properties, but also on its fatty acid composition. Cholesterol hypothesis implied that reducing the intake of saturated fats and cholesterol while increasing that of polyunsaturated oils is effective in lowering serum cholesterol, and thereby in reducing coronary heart dis- ease. The protective activity is linked with a high supply of n  3 fatty acids coming from fish and seafood, and high con- sumption of wholegrain products, as well as fruits and vegeta- bles (Siondalski & Lysiak-Szydlowska, 2007). Durian is rich in n  3 fatty acids, compared to some other fruits (Phutdhawong, Kaewkong, & Buddhasukh, 2005). Recently, it has been shown that individuals who eat daily five servings or more of fruits and vegetables have approximately half the risk of developing a wide variety of cancer types, particularly those of the gastrointestinal tract (Gescher, Pastorino, Plummer, & Manson, 1998). Therefore the antiproliferative activities of meth- anol extracts of Mon Thong durian at different stages of ripening on human cancer cell lines (Calu-6 for human pulmonary carcinoma and SNU-601 for human gastric carcinoma) were deter- mined using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltet- razolium bromide) assay. As far as we know there are no published results of such investigations. 0308-8146/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.05.029 * Corresponding author. Address: David R. Bloom Center for Pharmacy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel. Tel.: +972 2 6758690; fax: +972 2 6757076. E-mail address: gorin@cc.huji.ac.il (S. Gorinstein). Food Chemistry 118 (2010) 540–547 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food Chemistry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchem