Total Antioxidant Capacity and Phenolics Content in Apricot Fruits

Food quality analysis that addresses the nutraceutical profile of produce is fast becoming an accepted profile, primarily highlighting the antioxidant capacity as a further quality index for many fruit and vegetables species. In this study the total antioxidant status of several apricot cultivars differing in ripening season, pomological traits and geographical origin was determined by Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) assay and total phenol content by Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) method. Among the cultivars analysed, the variability on the antioxidant capacity and total phenol content was consistent, showing an increasing amount of antioxidants in the late ripening genotypes. These genotypes exhibited the best combination of pomological and nutraceutical traits with an excellent fruit qualitative profile. (C) 2007 by The Haworth Press. All rights reserved.