Abstract: Polyphenols are main functional components in apricots and can be separated into four groups as epicatechine, procyanidolic oligomers, chlorogenic acid and procyanidolic polymers which were found to be positive health effect. Conventional and organically grown fresh and dried apricot cultivars, Hac halilo lu, Kabaa, Hasanbey and Zerdali type from the east part of Turkey, Malatya region, were analyzed in order to determine their phenolic and vitamin A contents. For the analyses, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with diode array detection was used. The concentrations of phenolic acid standards (ferrulic, o-coumaric, p-coumaric, caffeic, chlorogenic and ferrulic acids) and flavonoid standards ((+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin), rutin besides vitamin A were used to determine characteristic differences among from the apricot cultivars. The polyphenol and vitamin A content of organically grown samples were found to be higher than the conventional cultivars in all samples (p<0.05). The most abundant phenolics in Hacihalilo.lu cultivar was quarcetin-3-rutinoside (rutine), whereas the less abundant phenolics was p-coumaric acid in Hasanbey cultivar. Though vitamin A content in different apricot cultivars varied the highest vitamin A level was found in Hacihalilo.lu cultivar. As a result, it was determined that types and concentrations of phenolics changed according to the different cultivars.
Reference: Kan, T. and Bostan, S.Z. (2010). Changes of contents of polyphenols and vitamin A of organic and conventional fresh and dried apricot cultivars (Prunus armeniaca L.) World Journal of Agricultural Sciences 6(2): 120-126.