Polyphenols in dried figs from a typical variety of Campania region, Italy.

What is it about?

Polyphenols are natural compounds found in many plants and vegetables, as they act as a defence. They are also important for human nutrition due to their antioxidant role, which means they combat cell ageing. Fruits are promoted among nutritionists for their healthy roles, and we investigated dried figs as one of the most appreciated fruit in the Mediterranean area. We analysed polyphenols both in the skin and the pulp of the fruit, so that we could understand whether there are different compounds of different concentrations. We also compared the typical Italian fig variety Dottato with several samples from the retail market, from Turkey (the main fig producer worldwide).

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Why is it important?

It is important because fig composition has been scarcely reported in the literature, and our work can help in understanding the composition (and the natural variability) of dried fig. It might be useful for the consumer, to help a correct choice of the "healtiest" product, but also to the food industry so that they might use, for example, the fig peel as an ingredient, using it from by-products of other processes.