New insights into the phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of feijoa and cherry fruits cultivated in Brazil

[Display omitted] •The native fruits such as feijoa and cherry are a source of phenolic compounds.•Phenolic compounds of fruits and its hydroethanolic extracts were analyzed by LC–MS/MS.•More than 20 phenolic compounds were identified among the samples analyzed.•Three phenolic compounds were reported for the first time in this study for feijoa.•The extracts were potent scavenger of against hydroxyl, peroxyl and ABTS radical. Acca sellowiana (feijoa) and Eugenia involucrata (cherry) are fruits species of Brazilian biodiversity (Myrtaceae family). In this study, a sampling process was used with three different harvesting sites. The composition of phenolic compounds of these fruits was determined by HPLC–DAD–MS/MS. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity of hydroethanolic extracts against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl (OH), peroxyl (ROO–) and ABTS radicals was evaluated. Thirty and twenty-seven phenolic compounds were identified in feijoa and cherry, respectively. The major phenolic compounds found were pedunculagin isomer (5040.87, 3443.66 and 1324.95 μg·g−1) in feijoa and procyanidin (1406.54, 1888.00 and 1380.64 μg·g−1) in cherry. Hydroethanolic extract of these fruits was a potent scavenger of free radicals and excellent source of phenolic compounds. In hydroethanolic extracts of feijoa, the phenolic content increased by around 50%, while in the cherry the content was similar to that found in the fruit. For ORAC method, sample 2 of feijoa and cherry showed values of 383 and 126 µM·TE·g−1, respectively, featuring the highest antioxidant capacity. This study is the first to report the identification of castalagin, catechin and epicatechin in feijoa, and rutin in cherry. Besides, the health benefits, these fruits can contribute to biodiversity conservation.