Open Access

Phytochemical and Antioxidant Characterization of Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) Fruit

1 Ankara University, Kalecik Vocational School, Department of Plant and Animal Production, Ankara
2 Uşak University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Uşak

Abstract

Myrtus communis L. is a plant grown in the Mediterranean region, with fruits containing phytochemical compounds important for health. In this study, the phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant capacity, and major organic acid profiles of black myrtle fruits sourced from Muğla and harvested during the 2023-2024 period were investigated. The analyses showed that myrtle fruit possesses high phenolic (319.66 mg GAE L⁻¹) and flavonoid (372.00 mg QE mL⁻¹) contents along with strong antioxidant activity (77.00%). HPLC results revealed gentisic (33.25 mg 100g⁻¹) and ellagic acids (8.79 mg 100g⁻¹) as the dominant phenolic compounds, and tartaric acid (265.33 mg 100g⁻¹) as the main organic acid. Correlation and principal component analyses indicated that phenolic compounds enhance antioxidant capacity, whereas organic acids have a negative effect on phenolic content. The principal component analysis explained 100% of the variance in the biochemical composition. This study provides systematic data on the chemical and biological potential of myrtle fruits grown in Türkiye, contributing original information to the literature.

Keywords

How to Cite

ALAN, F., & ÇOLAK, A. M. (2025). Phytochemical and Antioxidant Characterization of Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) Fruit. ISPEC Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 9(4), 1182–1193. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17928995

References

📄 Al-Hadeethi, M.A.H., 2016. Anatomical and Palynological Study of Myrtus communis L. Dıyala Journal For Pure Sciences, 12(4).
📄 Al-Najjar, B.O., Elshibani, F., Sharkasi, M.A., El Shintiri, N., El Naili, E., Abdulsayid, M., Abozayed, R.S., Mohammed, H.A., 2025.
📄 Phytochemical analysis, bioactivity and molecular docking studies of Myrtus communis L. seeds and fruit peel extracts demonstrating antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase properties. Scientific Reports, 15: 5634.
📄 Aschemann-Witzel, J., Maroschek, N., Hamm, U., Bech-Larsen, T., Aagaard, O., 2013. Consumer perceptions of organic food products: A review of the literature and discussion of selected themes. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 30(2): 118-132.
📄 Bakar, B., 2020. Investigation of vitamins, selected peptides, and malondialdehyde levels along with total antioxidant capacity in hambeles fruit (Myrtus communis L.). Ms Thesis, The Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences of Fırat University, Elazığ.