Changes in the Polyphenolic Profile, Carotenoids and Antioxidant Potential of Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Leaves during Maturation

Abstract

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) leaves were studied to assess the potential of apricot leaves for future studies and their applications in nutraceutical and bioactive functional ingredients. The changes in the phenolic profile, carotenoids, pigments and antioxidant potential were studied at four maturation stages. Polyphenols and carotenoids were studied using reversed-phase HPLC-DAD. Pigments, total phenolic contents and radical scavenging activity were also measured. Results revealed twelve phenolic compounds in the apricot leaves. The major phenolic compounds were 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (14.6-49.6 mg/g), 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid (0.56-7.5 mg/g), 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (5.6-25.7 mg/g) and quercetin-3-O-glucosides (8.6-19.9 mg/g), while others include caffeic acid and derivatives of coumaric acid and kaempferol. Significant changes were observed in polyphenolic compounds during maturation. Lutein (56.7-65.7 µg/g), neoxanthin (0.66-4.79 µg/g), 5,6-epoxy-α-carotene (5.89-7.9 µg/g), and β-carotene (12.3-26.9 µg/g) were the major carotenoids. There were significant variations in the carotenoids, pigment contents, total phenolic contents and radical scavenging activity during maturation. In conclusion, significant variation occurred in the polyphenolic profile, carotenoids contents and antioxidant potential of apricot leaves under the studied conditions.

Prunus persica by-products: A source of minerals, phenols and volatile compounds

“…Our findings of the by-product in the five peach cultivars indicate that peach leaves had important contents of polyphenol compounds, which could have potential biological importance. Similar results were observed in apricot leaves (Vieira et al, 2016;Zeb et al, 2017), where the total phenolic content increased with maturation. The increase was highly correlated with the variation in the polyphenols profile of the leaves.…”

“…The increase was highly correlated with the variation in the polyphenols profile of the leaves. According to these authors (Vieira et al, 2016;Zeb et al, 2017), variations in the polyphenol compounds of the leaves during maturation may be correlated with fruit development. Furthermore, these variations may be affected by the variety, climate, soil and environmental conditions.…”