DETERMINATION OF PHYTOCHEMICALS FROM FRESH FRUITS OF FIG (Ficus carica L.) AT DIFFERENT MATURITY STAGES

The natural and ubiquitous production of figs throughout Turkey makes it one of the most important centers of fig genetic resources. The current study aims to determine the most important phytochemical ingredients of a local variety of fig (Ficus carica L.) collected from the natural habitats in the province of Kahramanmaras at different harvest intervals in 2018. The fruit samples were assayed for various metabolites such as phenolic compounds, total phenols (TP), total flavonoids (TF), total anthocyanins (TA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The results showed that epicatechin (7.809 mg/100 g FW) was dominant phenolic compound in the fruits of this variety, followed by myricetin (2.632 mg/100 g FW), kaempferol (2.396 mg/100 g FW) and quercetin (0.655 mg/100 g FW). The average values obtained for TP, TF, TA, and TAC were found to be 135.71 mg GAE/100 g FW, 188.20 mg/100 g FW, 54.65 ml/L, and 14.34 DPPH%, respectively. There were also observed significant differences in total polyphenolic, flavonoid, anthocyanin content, and the antioxidant capacity at different harvest periods. The current findings indicate that the fig variety explored has a high antioxidant activity and is rich sources of anthocyanins and phenolic content. This study provides valuable information about the health benefits of figs endorsed by the phytochemical characteristics.