Superfruits: Phytochemicals, antioxidant efficacies, and health effects - A comprehensive review

The term "superfruit" has gained increasing usage and attention recently with the marketing strategy to promote the extraordinary health benefits of some exotic fruits, which may not have worldwide popularity. This has led to many studies with the identification and quantification of various groups of phytochemicals. This contribution discusses phytochemical compositions, antioxidant efficacies, and potential health benefits of the main superfruits such as açai, acerola, camu-camu, goji berry, jaboticaba, jambolão, maqui, noni, and pitanga. Novel product formulations, safety aspects, and future perspectives of these superfruits have also been covered. Research findings from the existing literature published within the last 10 years have been compiled and summarized. These superfruits having numerous phytochemicals (phenolic acids, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, iridoids, coumarins, hydrolysable tannins, carotenoids, and anthocyanins) together with their corresponding antioxidant activities, have increasingly been utilized. Hence, these superfruits can be considered as a valuable source of functional foods due to the phytochemical compositions and their corresponding antioxidant activities. The phytochemicals from superfruits are bioaccessible and bioavailable in humans with promising health benefits. More well-designed human explorative studies are needed to validate the health benefits of these superfruits.

Pharmacokinetic study of Noni fruit extract

Many different products containing Noni (Morinda citrifolia) fruit extracts are sold throughout the world for health restoration and maintenance. Despite a large business enterprise fueling Noni's popularity, there is a lack of standardization of products and no scientific evidence of Noni's clinical efficacy and safety. There is also no evidence to indicate an optimal therapeutic dose or dosing interval. In an initial volunteer, scopoletin was identified as a bioactive marker of Noni exposure and a candidate for product standardization and pharmacokinetic studies. Subsequently, capsules containing the whole freeze-dried fruit of Noni were orally administered to nine healthy volunteers (3 per group) at doses of 1,500 mg (3 × 500 mg), 2,000 mg (4 × 500 mg) and 2,500 mg (5 × 500 mg). Plasma and urine samples were obtained from each subject prior to dosing and at 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 h after dosing. Concentrations of scopoletin were determined by HPLC with PDA (scanning at 200-700 nm) and MS detection. Scopoletin rapidly enters the plasma after Noni ingestion, maintaining levels in the range of 0.5 to 5 ng/mL for at least 8 h after dosing. Scopoletin bioavailability appears to be low, with significant intersubject variability. We conclude that scopoletin can be used as a relatively specific marker of Noni exposure in the blood and particularly in urine when its pharmacokinetics is considered appropriately.

Review of the ethnobotany, chemistry, biological activity and safety of the botanical dietary supplement Morinda citrifolia (noni)

Morinda citrifolia, commonly called noni, has a long history as a medicinal plant and its use as a botanical dietary supplement has grown tremendously in recent years. This has prompted a concomitant increase in research on the phytochemical constituents and biological activity of noni. A relatively large number of scientific publications on noni have been published in recent years, including a number of review articles. The goals of this review are to provide an updated categorization of the phytochemical constituents found in noni and to provide perspective for its extensive utilization as a major botanical dietary supplement. Included herein are a comprehensive list of known ethnobotanical uses and common names of M. citrifolia, a brief summary of relevant biological studies and a discussion of the safety of noni as a supplement.

Evaluation of the ergogenic potential of noni juice

Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruit juice is an increasingly popular health food with many reported benefits, such as antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. Traditionally, noni fruit was used by Polynesians to combat fatigue. Also, clinical studies have revealed that noni juice consumption improves quality of life scores related to physical functioning and energy levels. To further evaluate the ergogenic (antifatigue and endurance promoting) potential of noni juice, aged mice were pretreated orally with increasing doses (10, 20 and 40 mL/kg body weight) of Tahitian Noni Juice (TNJ) and then compared with young and aged controls in the forced swim test and rotarod test. The average times of all TNJ dose groups were significantly longer than the aged controls in both the swim test (36% to 45%) and the rotarod test (59% to 128%), and were similar to those of the young controls. This demonstrates not only an improvement in endurance but also in balance and flexibility. These results confirm the reported use of noni juice to combat fatigue, improve endurance and increase overall physical performance.