Eleven organically grown apple cultivars and 11 apple cultivars of integrated production from Austria and Slovenia were analyzed by HPLC for the content of phenolic compounds in peel and pulp. We identified chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, procyanidin B3, protocatechuic acid, (−)-epicatechin, phloridzin, rutin and quercetin-3-rhamnoside in apple peel. In apple pulp, (+)-catechin was also identified in all the cultivars. Some other phenols (procyanidin B3, rutin and quercetin-3-rhamnoside) could not be identified or were not properly separated. With regard to the phenolic content in the apple peel, there were no differences between organically grown apple cultivars and apple cultivars of integrated production. Organically grown apples, however, exhibited a higher content of phenolic substances in the apple pulp compared with the apple cultivars of integrated production. This may be due either to the different genotype source or to the growing technology. Higher concentrations of phenolic compounds in organically grown cultivars could be a result of plant response to stress. The apple peel contained higher concentrations of identified phenols than the pulp. The apple peel represents up to 10% of the whole fruit; therefore the phenolsic compounds in the pulp are of greater importance to the consumer than the phenolic compounds in the peel.

Objective: This study was carried out to obtain data about the sugar-, acid-and phenol content of apple cultivars from organic and integrated fruit cultivation, with reference to their role in human health and especially for diet recommendations. Setting: Styria (Austria) and Slovenia. Interventions: HPLC, Spectral Photometry, organoleptic and olfactory tests. Results:The total sugar content of most cultivars from integrated cultivation ranged between 115 and 160 g/kg. Some cultivars from organic growing reached higher values. The acid content of both cultivar types was similar. The phenol content in organically grown cultivars was much higher than that of the ones from integrated cultivation. Conclusion: Knowledge of the sugar content is very important for diabetic patients, owing to the assumption of general diet recommendations that 100 g fruit contain 12 g carbohydrates. This applies to most well-known cultivars like Golden Delicious or Gala, but not to most of the regional cultivars. For diabetics, it is necessary to know the carbohydrate content of food precisely, in order to adapt the amount of insulin to the ingestion. So, it is helpful to know the sugar content of each regional cultivar. Moreover, very high levels of phenolic compound in organically grown cultivars, and with it its importance for human health leads to the recommendation to eat regional fruits from organic fruit growing instead of those grown under integrated cultivation.

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