Wild Apple (Malus Spp.) By-Products As A Source Of Phenolic Compounds And Vitamin C For Food Applications

The phytochemical profile and positive health effects of the fruits and by-products of domesticated Malus domestica Borkh. apple cultivars have been extensively investigated. The present study was designed to evaluate the hydrophilic composition and antioxidant activity of the compounds recovered from wild apple Malus spp. by-products. The phytochemical analysis of the 30 and 96% ethanolic extracts using LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS has led to the detection and isolation of 25 hydrophilic compounds. Amongst the polyphenols, chlorogenic acid, B-type procyanidins, and phloretin-2-glucoside dominated. The results of HPLC-DPPH center dot radical scavenging showed that the major contributors to the antioxidant activity of wild apple by-products were found to be cyanidin-glucoside, luteolin-glucoside, and B-type (-)-epicatechin, which showed the lowest EC50 values of 0.65, 0.70, and 0.80, respectively. The abundance of vitamin C, including ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids was confirmed using UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS technique. The results showed that the wild apple by-products have the potential to be used in the production of natural antioxidants. Using a common solid-liquid extraction technique, 100 kg of press cake yielded 200 g of procyanidins, 100 g of chlorogenic acid, 87 g of phloridzin and 60 g of vitamin C, compounds that could potentially be used for the production of lipid oxidation inhibitors and agents with antimicrobial activities as medicines and food additives.