Influence of conventional and organic agriculture practices on the total phenols and antioxidant potential of Florina apple fruits

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the influence of conventional and organic growing conditions on the total phenolic content, the total flavonoids content, the total monomeric anthocyanins content and the antioxidant potential in the apple fruits of Florina variety. The samples were grown and collected from the experimental fields, around Plovdiv and the village of Brestnik. The total phenolic content, the total flavonoids, the total monomeric anthocyanins content were determined. The antioxidant potential was evaluated by four different assays. The apple fruits grown under organic conditions contained higher total phenolics and they showed stronger antioxidant activity than fruits from the conventional conditions. The total phenolic content was from 3 to 5 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight. The total flavonoids were below 1 mg quercetin equivalents/g dw. In the organically grown fruits, the average values for antioxidant activity varied from 30 to 100 mM Trolox® equivalent/g dw. The total monomeric anthocyanins in the organically grown apples their levels were the highest (67 mg cyn-3-glc/100 g dw). There was a positive, high correlation between antioxidant methods and the total phenolic content and total monomeric anthocyanins. These results indicated that organically grown apples accumulated higher levels of antioxidants and bioactive compounds, in comparison to conventionally grown apples.