APPLE (MAWS DOMESTICA BORKH. cv BRAMLEY'S SEEDLING) PEEL WASTE AS A VALUABLE SOURCE OF NATURAL PHENOLIC ANTIOXIDANTS

摘要

The traditional Irish apple market based on the cooking variety cv Bramley's Seedling has narrowed over the years due to changes in lifestyle. The peel waste was investigated as a potential source of natural phenolic antioxidants for food applications, in order to enhance the apple market through a recycling opportunity which may lower the cost impact of waste disposal. Depending on the variety, the peels of some apple cultivars have already been reported as a valuable functional source due to strong antioxidant capacity and various inhibitory properties (i.e. anti-cancer, anti-allergic and anti-thrombotic) which have been related to a higher phenolic content, in comparison with the peeled fruit. In particular, the skin contains larger amounts of specific flavonoids such as flavonol glycosides, apart from phenolics found in the whole apple. The antioxidant capacity of the fruit was also mainly attributed to its phenolic compounds, rather than to vitamin C. With regard to the antioxidant capacity, there is still little literature data reporting about the value of the apple peels from cooking varieties, particularly in the case of cv Bramley's Seedling, thus creating a research gap which is worth further investigation.