Comparative study of antioxidant compounds and antiradical properties of the fruit extracts from three varieties of Crataegus pinnatifida

Crataegus pinnatifida (C. pinnatifida) is widely cultivated in China as an edible fruit and a traditional herb medicine. In this study, we determined the total polyphenolic and condensed tannin content of the fruit extracts from three varieties of C. pinnatifida, and assessed the antioxidant activities in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) decolorization assays. Compared with the extracts from C. pinnatifida Bge. (Shanzha, SZ) and C. pinnatifida Bge. var. pinnatifida (an original variety of Shanzha, VSZ), the extracts of C. pinnatifida Bge. var. major N. E. Br. (Shanlihong, SLH) showed a higher polyphenolic and condensed tannin content, as well as a higher radical scavenging activity with a Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) value of approximately 50 mg/g. Furthermore, the total polyphenolic content in the extracts was significantly correlated with the IC50 value for DPPH˙ (r = −0.986, p < 0.05) and TEAC value (r = 0.997, p < 0.05). These results demonstrated that the three varieties of C. pinnatifida, especially SLH, had a potential application as antioxidants in the research of human nutrition and medicine.