Metabolic Syndrome Prevention Potential of Tamarillo: Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant Activity, and Enzyme Inhibition Before and After Digestion

Tamarillo (Solanum betaceum Cav.) is rich in polyphenols, anthocyanins, and carotenoids, making it a promising candidate for functional food development. Various parts of tamarillo were extracted using water and ethanol (0–95%), with 95% ethanol yielding the highest content of bioactive compounds in the peel, pulp, mucilage, and whole fruit, while 75% ethanol was more effective for the seeds. Among tamarillo components, the peel exhibited the highest concentrations of hydroxycinnamoyl derivatives, anthocyanins, and carotenoids, along with superior antioxidant capacity, including strong scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals (EC50, 45.26 µg extract/mL) and high reducing power (EC50, 113.3 µg extract/mL). Regarding enzyme inhibition relevant to metabolic syndrome (MetS), the peel extract exhibited the strongest inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase (IC50, 1.623 mg/mL) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (IC50, 1.435 mg/mL). In contrast, the pulp extract demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity against pancreatic lipase (IC50, 0.882 mg/mL) and α-amylase (IC50, 2.369 mg/mL). These findings suggest tamarillo extracts possess potent antioxidant activity and significant enzyme inhibitory properties, highlighting their potential as functional ingredients for MetS prevention. However, gastrointestinal digestion simulation influenced bioactive compound content and enzyme inhibition capacity. This study provides insights into developing tamarillo-based dietary supplements with optimized processing to preserve bioactive components.