@Article{phyton.2025.064966,
AUTHOR = {Juan Francisco Zamora Natera, Mario Felipe González González, Javier Vioque, Julio Girón-Calle, Manuel Alaiz},
TITLE = {Chemical Characterization of <i>Jarilla caudata</i> Seeds from Mexico},
JOURNAL = {Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany},
VOLUME = {94},
YEAR = {2025},
NUMBER = {5},
PAGES = {1533--1544},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/phyton/v94n5/61382},
ISSN = {1851-5657},
ABSTRACT = {<i>Jarilla caudata</i> Standl. (Caricaceae) is a wild herbaceous plant native to Mexico recognized for its edible fruits. It is considered to be the closest taxonomically species to <i>Carica papaya</i> L. (Caricaceae), whose seeds have good nutritional and functional properties. This study analyzes and compares the seed chemical compositions of <i>J. caudata</i> and <i>C. papaya</i> to study the nutritional and functional potential of <i>J. caudata</i> seeds. The analysis of the proximate composition was based on standard methods. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the free amino acid profile, gas chromatography to quantify the fatty acid content, and inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry to measure minerals. Both <i>J. caudata</i> and <i>C. papaya</i> seeds have high protein (24.03% to 26.94%) and lipid (21.32% to 25.07%) content. The mineral study indicated high potassium, calcium, iron, and zinc content. Minor functional compounds present, with similar contents in <i>J. caudata</i> and <i>C. papaya</i> seeds, were soluble sugars, phytic acid, polyphenols, and pectin. The main fatty acid in seed oil was oleic acid (C18:1), with 61.4% in <i>J. caudata</i> seeds and 72.6% in <i>C. papaya</i> seeds. Among free amino acids, leucine with 6.9/100 g free amino acids and phenylalanine with 13.6/100 g free amino acids were the most abundant in the seeds of <i>J. caudata</i> and <i>C. papaya</i>, respectively. Polyphenols of <i>J. caudata</i> and <i>C. papaya</i> seeds showed similar antioxidant activity. <i>J. caudata</i> seeds may represent a useful source of nutritional compounds for food and feeding, and functional compounds with antioxidant activity.},
DOI = {10.32604/phyton.2025.064966}
}