Valorization of Campomanesia xanthocarpa leaves: Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of crude extract and fractions

Campomanesia xanthocarpa leaves are a byproduct of fruit production without studies on antioxidant activity. Thus, this study aimed to identify the antioxidant compounds of C. xanthocarpa leaves by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI/qTOF) and by different in vitro antioxidant methods. The crude extract of C. xanthocarpa leaves had a yield of 15.2% and only five out of 37 fractions of the crude extract had antioxidant activity. The crude extract presented greater antioxidant activity than the isolated fractions. The identified antioxidant compounds were phenolic acids (gallic acid and chlorogenic acid), flavonoids (quercetin and naringenin 7,4'-dimethoxy) and an organic acid (quinic acid). Leaves of C. xanthocarpa have high concentration of antioxidant compounds and it is a promising plant for the development of applications in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical fields. The extraction of antioxidant compounds can add value to the productive chain of this plant.