Backgound: Sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) are rich in polyphenols and have high antioxidant potential. This study deals with the use of ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry on five cherry cultivars, namely Caihong, Sunburst, Summit, 23-51 and Valeri, to determine the free, conjugated and bound phenolics in peel and flesh.
Results: Phenolics varied widely based on cherry cultivars and edible parts. Valeri showed the highest phenolics in peel, while the flesh of 23-51 contained a higher amount of phenolic substances compared with the other cherries, mainly due to high levels of cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, which was the most abundant phenolic in sweet cherry. Most of the phenolics, except for ferulic acid and vanillic acid, were present at a higher level in peel than in flesh. Principal component analysis indicated that compared with different edible parts, the phenolic compounds were more influenced by cultivar.
Conclusions: Cultivar had a much greater impact on the accumulation of phenolics than edible parts. The peel of Valeri contained the highest phenolics; for the flesh, 23-51 had the highest levels. The high variability in phenolic compounds in peel and flesh among cultivars may be useful for breeding and underlines the importance of germplasm conservation activities. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
Keywords: PCA; cherry; conjugated phenolics, phenolic acids; flavonoids; peel and flesh.
© 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.