Polyphenolic diversity and antioxidant potential of important apple ( Malus domestica Borkh) cultivars

Apple is rich in secondary metabolites, which play a role in maintaining health and disease prevention. Polyphenols are the principal constituents of apples. In this study, 25 apple cultivars cultivated at the same field conditions were analyzed for their antioxidant potential and polyphenolic content. The total phenolic content of apples ranged from 7.22 to 143.57 mg GAE/100 g fw, the flavonoid content varied from 17.54 to 143.00 mg CE /100 g fw. The maximum catechin content 2310 ± 7.45 µg/g fw. The maximum epicatechin, quercetin and phloridzin content was observed in Malus Floribunda i.e., 1740 ± 5.03 µg/g fw , 5110 ± 4 93 µg/g fw, and 2170 ± 8.76 µg/g fw, respectively. Maximum content observed significant relations with catechin ( r = 0.2943) epicatechin ( r = 0.2597), quercetin ( r = 0.3995), apigenin ( r = 0.4054), phloridzin ( r = 0.3329). The most significant correlation was observed between DPPH and apigenin ( r = 0.4054). Principal component analysis and component score matrix show the distribution of polyphenolics between 25 apple cultivars of diverse origins. The HCA divided the cultivars into three main metabolically rich clusters. Our study elucidates the variation in antioxidant potential of different apple cultivars which could be useful for the development of new apple cultivars by conventional and modern breeders.