International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Phenolic Compounds in Mesoamerican Fruits—Characterization, Health Potential and Processing with Innovative Technologies Andrea Gómez-Maqueo 1 , Zamantha Escobedo-Avellaneda 2,* and Jorge Welti-Chanes 2,* 1 Food Structure Team, Clinical Nutrition Research Center, Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Research and Technology, 14 Medical Drive #07-02, MD 6 Building, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Singapore 117599, Singapore;
[email protected] 2 Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Col. Tecnológico, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo León, Mexico * Correspondence:
[email protected] (Z.E.-A.);
[email protected] (J.W.-C.) Received: 12 September 2020; Accepted: 29 October 2020; Published: 7 November 2020 Abstract: Diets rich in phenolic compounds have been associated to reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome and its derived disorders. Fruits are healthy components of the human diet because of their vitamin, mineral, fiber and phenolic profile. However, they have a short shelf-life which is limited by microbiological growth and enzymatic activity. Innovative preservation methods such as high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, microwave, cold plasma and ultraviolet light have become popular for the processing of fruits because they can preserve nutritional quality. In this review, the phenolic profile and health potential of 38 Mesoamerican fruits were assessed. Phenolic compounds were classified based on their contribution to the diet as flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannin, lignins and stilbenoids. Due to this composition, fruits showed a wide range of bioactivities which included anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive and anti-obesity activities, among others.