Physicochemical properties and proximate composition of tamarillo (Solanum betaceum Cav.) fruits from New Zealand

• Published in: Journal of food composition and analysis 2020-09, Vol.92, p.103563, Article 103563
• Main Authors: Diep, Tung Thanh, Pook, Chris, Yoo, Michelle Ji Yeon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Dietary fibre; Essential amino acids; Food composition; Neutral side chains; γ-aminobutyric acid
• ISSN: 0889-1575; 1096-0481
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfca.2020.103563

•All tamarillo cultivars showed high dietary fibre content of about 3 %.•Pectin from pulps had higher amounts of neutral side chains than from peels.•2 essential and 5 non-essential amino acids in tamarillo were firstly reported.•L-glutamic acid, GABA and l-aspartic acid dominated amino acid profile of tamarillo.•Tamarillos contained high amount of GABA which is relatively similar to tomato. This study reports physical parameters, proximate compositions, reducing sugar and amino acid contents in Amber, Laird’s Large and Mulligan tamarillos that were produced in New Zealand. Across all three cultivars, about 3 % of dietary fibre was present. Higher amounts of neutral side chains were observed in pectin from Laird’s Large compared to other cultivars and in pectin from pulps compared to peels. Among 22 detected amino acids, 2 essential amino acids and 5 non-essential amino acids were reported herein for the first time. The total amino acids content in peel and pulp of tamarillos ranged from 1192 to 1753 and 3455–6077 mg 100 g−1 dry weight, respectively. l-glutamic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid and l-aspartic acid dominated amino acid profile of tamarillo except for Amber peel. l-histidine and l-lysine dominated the essential amino acid profile of all tamarillo samples. Principal component analysis revealed a clear separation among soluble sugar and amino acid profiles of different cultivars and tissues of tamarillo.