Guava and other tropical fruits as sources of bioactive compounds
What it found
Guava pulp and leaves contain antioxidants such as vitamin C, carotenoids and phenolic compounds, and extracts from them show antioxidant and antimicrobial activity in lab tests.
The review also covers extraction methods for these compounds.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Compounds in guava leaves
Guava leaves contain compounds such as quercetin, gallocatechin, ellagic acid, gallic acid and citric acid, depending on the extraction technique. These compounds show antioxidant and antimicrobial activity in lab tests.
Other findings
Compounds in guava pulp
Guava pulp was found to contain 56.93 mg/100 g of total polyphenols, 28.79 mg/100 g of total carotenoids and 179.6 mg/100 g of vitamin C. This shows guava is rich in antioxidant compounds.
Guava leaf anti-plaque use
Guava leaves have been shown to have anti-plaque properties, and herbalists recommend them for preventing and treating oral conditions and for fresh breath.
Guava seed oil extraction
Oil extracted from guava seeds using supercritical fluid yielded 8.6 g oil per 100 g of seed, similar to Soxhlet extraction (9.1 g per 100 g). The oil was 78.5% linoleic acid, 10.6% palmitic acid, 7.7% oleic acid and 3.2% stearic acid.
Extraction methods compared
Supercritical fluid extraction of guava leaves gave higher levels of functional compounds such as essential oils, flavonoids, carotenoids and antioxidants compared with Soxhlet extraction. Supercritical fluid extraction is considered an alternative for obtaining bioactive compounds.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that the bioactive compounds present in tropical fruits such as Psidium guajava make them a good source of compounds including carotenoids, phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, anthocyanins and lycopene.
- They state that the biological activities of these compounds are important for human health and favour the prevention and treatment of dental and muscular pain, chronic degenerative diseases, inflammatory diseases and cancer.
- They advise implementing operational processes and extraction methods such as maceration, Soxhlet, supercritical fluids and ultrasound to obtain these compounds for food ingredients.
How it was done
The authors wanted to identify the bioactive compounds in tropical fruits including guava and their biological activities, because these compounds could be used as food ingredients and may benefit human health.
The authors reviewed published studies on the chemical makeup and biological activities of Tamarindus indica, Annona muricata, Mangifera indica and Psidium guajava, and on extraction methods for their bioactive compounds.
What it can’t tell you
- This is a review of other studies, not a new experiment in people. It cannot show what happens when someone eats guava or takes guava extracts.
- Most of the biological activities described come from lab tests on cells or extracts, so they cannot show effects in the human body.
- The review does not report how much guava or guava extract a person would need to eat or take to get any health effect.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Conflict of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Cartagena, Colombia
The paper
- Title
- Tropical fruits as a potential source for the recovery of bioactive compounds: Tamarindus indica L., Annona muricata, Psidium guajava and Mangifera indica
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Toscano Oviedo MA, García Zapateiro LA, Quintana SE (2024). Tropical fruits as a potential source for the recovery of bioactive compounds: Tamarindus indica L., Annona muricata, Psidium guajava and Mangifera indica . Journal of food science and technology. doi:10.1007/s13197-024-05983-5Free full textPubMed 39397835DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error