Vitamin C, Total Polyphenol, Flavonoid Contents and Antioxidant Capacity of Several Fruit Peels

摘要

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity, total phenolics, flavonoids, and vitamin C contents in peels of 11 commercial fruits commonly consumed in the Republic of Korea. The antioxidant activities were evaluated by ABTS, DPPH radical scavenging methods and reducing power. The peels of plum (Prunus spp.) and golden kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) exhibited the highest values of antioxidant activity and total phenolics, while the highest level of ascorbic acid was recorded in thepeel of citrus fruit (p<0.05). There were positive correlations between the antioxidant activity assessed by both reducing power and ABTS methods and total polyphenol content (R~2 =0.6356), suggesting that phenolic compounds are the major contributors to these activities. The results indicate that plum and golden kiwifruit peels can be used as natural antioxidant ingredients and in production of functional foods in the Korean diet.