{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T06:10:40Z","timestamp":1790143840185,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":87,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790121600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Nutr."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Approximately 50% of fruit is lost to postharvest spoilage due to the high metabolic rate of fresh produce. Reducing postharvest losses is crucial in eradicating hunger, reducing poverty and ensuring food security in line with Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2. Understanding the optimal harvesting time for fruit is essential in maximizing its quality and extending shelf life. This study evaluated the effect of different maturity stages on the physicochemical, phytochemical and mineral profile of marula [\n                    <jats:italic>Sclerocarya birrea<\/jats:italic>\n                    (A. Rich.) Hochst] fruit. The fruit was harvested in the wild at Bushbuckridge-Lillydale (24.872\u00b0S 31.365\u00b0E) at different maturity stages (mature unripe, semi-ripe and fully ripe) during the summer season of 2025 and transported to the Eureka laboratory at Unisa for analysis. Upon arrival, the fruit were analyzed for physicochemical properties, including total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), pH, TSS\/TA, phytochemical properties such as total phenolic content, flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin C and mineral nutrients. The results revealed that green unripe fruit exhibited a superior total phenolic content of 14.5 GAE\/100\u202fg FW, followed by semi-ripe fruit at 10.6 GAE\/100\u202fg FW. The lowest total phenolic content was observed in fully ripe fruit at 6.9 GAE\/100\u202fg FW. A similar pattern was observed in total flavonoid content. In contrast, vitamin C was highest in fruit harvested at the semi-ripe stage. The findings from this study suggest that marula fruit exhibits varying phytochemical and nutritional contents at the different maturity stages. Therefore, it is essential to harvest it based on targeted phytochemicals or minerals.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2026.1908448","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T05:49:31Z","timestamp":1790142571000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Maturity-driven shifts in physicochemical, phytochemical and mineral composition of marula [Sclerocarya birrea (a. rich.) Hochst] fruit: a multivariate perspective on nutritional functionality"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Mashudu","family":"Sikhavhakhavha","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Leeto-La-Africa Community Engagement Scholarship Project (CU_1600), Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa","place":["Tshwane, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nkosikhona Goodman","family":"Magwaza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leeto-La-Africa Community Engagement Scholarship Project (CU_1600), Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa","place":["Tshwane, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sabelo","family":"Shezi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leeto-La-Africa Community Engagement Scholarship Project (CU_1600), Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa","place":["Tshwane, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thanyani","family":"Ralulimi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leeto-La-Africa Community Engagement Scholarship Project (CU_1600), Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa","place":["Tshwane, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kuhlula","family":"Maluleke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leeto-La-Africa Community Engagement Scholarship Project (CU_1600), Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa","place":["Tshwane, South Africa"]},{"name":"School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Pretoria","place":["Pretoria, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cynthia Kwena","family":"Marokane-Radebe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leeto-La-Africa Community Engagement Scholarship Project (CU_1600), Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa","place":["Tshwane, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Makgafele Lucia","family":"Ntsoane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leeto-La-Africa Community Engagement Scholarship Project (CU_1600), Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa","place":["Tshwane, South Africa"]},{"name":"Agricultural Research Council, Tropical and Subtropical Crops (ARC-TSC)","place":["Mbombela, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mdungazi Knox","family":"Maluleke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leeto-La-Africa Community Engagement Scholarship Project (CU_1600), Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa","place":["Tshwane, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3175","DOI":"10.1002\/sd.2600","article-title":"Highlighting the role of agriculture and geospatial technology in food security and sustainable development goals","volume":"31","author":"Pandey","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sustain Dev"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gfs.2020.100450","article-title":"How can agricultural interventions enhance contribution to food security and SDG 2.1?","volume":"26","author":"Bizikova","year":"2020","journal-title":"Glob Food 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