Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food Chemistry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchem Biochemical, antioxidant and sensory evaluation of Davidsonia pruriens and Davidsoina jerseyana fruit infusion Nilesh Prakash Nirmal a,c, ⁎ , Ram Mereddy b , Dennis Webber b , Yasmina Sultanbawa c a Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University. 999 Phutthamonthon 4 Road, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand b Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Health and Food Science Precinct, Block 10, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia c Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, QLD 4108, Australia ARTICLEINFO Keywords: Davidsonia pruriens Davidsonia jerseyana Phenolics Minerals Antioxidant activities Sensory attributes ABSTRACT Davidsonia pruriens (DP) and Davidsonia jerseyana (DJ) are a gourmet bushfood with a sweet and sour taste. This study investigated the biochemical content, antioxidant activities, and sensory attributes of DP and DJ fruit infusions in comparison with commercial forest fruits (FF) infusion. Total phenolic and anthocyanin content was higher in FF infusion compared to DP or DJ fruit infusions (P < 0.05). An abundant amount of gallic acid was found in DP and DJ fruit infusions (P < 0.05). Quercetin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, and peonidin-3-sambu- bioside was detected only in DP and DJ fruit infusions (P < 0.05). However, a high level of oxalic acid, minerals and soluble sugars were observed in FF infusions (P < 0.05). The antioxidant capacities and overall likeness score of DP or DJ infusion were comparable with the commercial FF infusion. Therefore, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activities and sensory properties suggested that DP and DJ fruit infusion have the potential to be- come a commercial health promoting drink. 1. Introduction Australian bush food industry is well known for its native and a distinctly unique Australian favor and taste. An Australian fora com- prises > 25,000 native plants and ofers several attractive edible herbs, spices, and fruits (Konczak, Zabaras, Dunstan, & Aguas, 2010b). These Australian bush foods which are of primary importance to the Aus- tralian Native Food Industry are valued at $16 to $20 million per annum and are growing at 75% per annum (Stynes, 1997; Zhao & Agboola, 2007). Native fruits have received scientists and consumers most intrigue owing to high phenolic content and health-promoting ability. Diferent plant species can be found in Australia’s rainforests and few of them become prime important to the Australian native food industry and fnd their way to Australian cuisines and diferent food products. Most native fruits originate from Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Western Australia, and the east coast of Australia (Stynes, 1997). The commercialized native fruits include Australian desert lime (Citrus glauca Burkill, Rutaceae), Davidson’s plum (Davidsonia F. Muell, Cunoniaceae), Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdi- nandiana Exell, Combretaceae), Quandong (Santalum acuminattum, A.D.C., Santalaceae), Riberry (Syzgium luehmannii L.A.S. Johnson, Myr- taceae), Lemon aspen (Acronychia acidula F. Muell, Rutaceae), Finger lime(Citrus australasica F. Muell, Rutaceae)(Konczak, Zabaras, Dunstan, & Aguas, 2010a). Davidson’s plum is dark blue/purple on the outside and deep red on the inside. The plum can be found in the tropical rainforest in Queensland and New South Wales. There are three species of the plum: Davidsonia pruriens, Davidsonia jerseyana, and Davidsonia johnsonii. All three species are considered endangered species in the wild (Ahmed & Johnson, 2000). However, Davidsonia pruriens and Davidsonia jerseyana are widely cultivated in Queensland and lowland subtropical NSW, respectively. The fruit exhibits a sour and tangy taste and most widely used in jams, sauces, chutneys, ice creams, and vinegar (Ahmed & Johnson, 2000; Konczak et al., 2010a). Davidson plum has been studied for proximate composition, vitamins, and minerals (Ahmed & Johnson, 2000; Konczak, Zabaras, Dunstan, Aguas, Roulfe, & Pavan, 2009). Phytochemicals including hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds, as well as their antioxidant activities and anti-proliferative activities of Davidson plum have been reported (Chuen et al., 2016; Konczak et al., 2009, 2010a). Davidson plum had higher antioxidant activity than blueberry due to its high levels of anthocyanin (Konczak et al., 2009). Herbal or dry fruit infusion become increasingly popular because of their high antioxidant capacity, favor, and low cafeine content (Šavikin et al., 2014). The aqueous extract of berry fruit and the peel has become an excellent source of phenolic, anthocyanin content with antioxidant capacity and cytotoxic efect against diferent cancer cell https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.128349 Received 23 July 2020; Received in revised form 7 October 2020; Accepted 7 October 2020 ⁎ Corresponding author at: Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, 999 Phutthamonthon 4 Road, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand. E-mail address: nilesh.nir@mahidol.ac.th (N.P. Nirmal). Food Chemistry xxx (xxxx) xxxx 0308-8146/ © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Please cite this article as: Nilesh Prakash Nirmal, et al., Food Chemistry, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.128349