Polyphenol Composition of Plum Selections in Relation to Total Antioxidant Capacity

Abstract

Dietary polyphenols are associated with protection against chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Pharmacological studies show a range of bioactivities and efficacy attributable to specific polyphenols. While many fruits are rich in polyphenols, wide cultivar variation of polyphenol composition is common. Our objective was to determine the composition of major bioactive polyphenols in 29 prevarietal selections of Western Australian plums, and Black Amber as an evaluation in developing breeding tools to develop fruit that may have enhanced health-promoting capacities. Total phenolics were quantified colorimetrically; selected polyphenols were quantified by HPLC; and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was measured by the antioxidant inhibition of oxygen radicals (AIOR) assay. Total phenolic concentration was significantly correlated with TAC (R = 0.95, P < 0.01). Neo-chlorogenic acid and quercetin glycosides were found to be the predominant polyphenols (mean 29.9 mg·kg(-1) and 50.7 mg·kg(-1), respectively). No significant correlations were found between the composition of predominant polyphenols in plums and the TAC. We argue that the value of in vitro TAC assays to breeding programs may be limited, and future research should focus on the heritability of known bioactive polyphenols.

Antioxidant capacity of small dark fruits: Influence of cultivars and harvest time

“…It varied from 6639 ± 571 (Altesse Double) to 4990 ± 276 mol TE/100g FW (Stanley). Unlike observations of Mubarak et al [26], there was a correlation between the phenolic content and the antioxidant capacity in plums (R 2 = 0.717). The ascorbic acid content of all the plum cultivars was very low compared to other fruits.…”

Japanese plums (Prunus salicinaLindl.) and phytochemicals - breeding, horticultural practice, postharvest storage, processing and bioactivity

“…It has also been used as a parent to produce further high‐anthocyanin selections that are currently under evaluation. Quercetins (0.9–24 mg per 100 g) were the most abundant polyphenol in the majority of tested Western Australian Government plum‐breeding lines . Epicatechin (0–15.4 mg per 100 g) and chlorogenic acids (chlorogenic acid 0–3.8 mg per 100 g, neochlorogenic acid 0–22 mg per 100 g) were not found as commonly in this population, but Mubarak et al argued that all three polyphenols should be specifically targeted for selection because of their established human health benefits.…”

Polyphenols: Benefits to the Cardiovascular System in Health and in Aging

“…Broccoli and green and black tea are also sources of quercetin [167]. Plums also contain quercetin, it being the most prominent polyphenol accounting for about two-thirds of the polyphenolic content found in this fruit; the quantities vary based on the cultivar tested in the study by Mubarak et al in 2012 [169]. The amount of quercetin in the 29 cultivars tested in Mubarak’s study ranged from 9 mg/kg to 239.8 mg/kg.…”

“…The amount of quercetin in the 29 cultivars tested in Mubarak’s study ranged from 9 mg/kg to 239.8 mg/kg. Plums also contain the glycoside of quercetin called Rutin ranging from 9.5 g/kg to 63.9 mg/kg [169]. Quercetin is also found in mulberry leaves, a medicinal plant used in China and Japan to aid in blood pressure reduction [170].…”