Chemical and biological studies of some edible fruits of the Mediterranean flora

Considering the nutraceutical importance of phenolic compounds, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the phenolic profile of some minor fruits from Mediterranean region, making quali- quantitative study, in order to draw attention to the species and to contribute to the knowledge of the potential value of these fruits as food. There were studied four plant fruits commonly found in Italy: Arbutus unedo L. (Ericaceae), Morus nigra L., Morus alba L. (Moraceae), and Zizyphus jujuba Mill. (Rhamnaceae). Moreover, the phenolic profile of Z. jujuba was compared with the one of Z. spina-christi (L.) Willd (Rhamnaceae), a native plant in Jordan, Israel, and Egypt. The work on the selected plants dealt with the isolation and structural determination of secondary metabolites using different chromatographic techniques, 1D and 2D (1H, 13C, COSY, HMQC, HMBC) NMR, and mass spectrometry for the identification of the compounds. The phytochemical investigations were coupled with the advanced analytical methods (HPLC/PDA/ESI-MS/MS), which give the possibility of characterization of minor constituents, which are not isolable by means of traditional separation techniques.