Abstract
The presented study provides important insights on the health properties of Prunus persica fruit related to their polyphenol and carotenoid profiles, antioxidant capacity and in vitro potential to inhibit enzymes relevant to type 2 diabetes (α-amylase, α-glucosidase) and obesity (pancreatic lipase) management. Such results have not been published so far. The study showed substantial differences in the chemical composition of peach fruit depending on the cultivar. At the same time, it demonstrated some common features of selected cultivars - the varieties with light flesh (‘Spring Time’; ‘Madison’) were characterized by a high content of phenolic acids and flavonols, thus exhibiting high activity against α-amylase, while the yellow varieties with high content of carotenoids (‘Harrow Diamond’; ‘Harrow Beauty’) showed high inhibitory activity toward porcine pancreatic lipase. Finally, it has been shown that peach fruit is an interesting raw material with a varied chemical composition and nutritional value, especially with high inhibitory potential against digestive enzymes linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes, strongly determined by the cultivar.
Highlights
IntroductionFruits of this species contain pectins and carotenoids that impart the characteristic orange color to their skin
Four groups of phenolic compounds were identified in each analyzed cultivar, i.e.: phenolic acids, flavonols, anthocyanins, and flavan-3-ols
The main fraction of polyphenolic compounds determined in the peaches were flavan-3-ols, with the majority being of polymeric procyanidins
Summary
Fruits of this species contain pectins and carotenoids that impart the characteristic orange color to their skin Noteworthy are their other biologically-active compounds like, e.g., polyphenols, investigations conducted far have mainly been focused on fatty acid analysis of this species, neglecting other phytochemicals that are significant from the viewpoint of health-promoting. Little known polyphenolic fractions of peach fruit are derivatives from the group of flavonols and flavan-3ols, including procyanidin polymers Despite difficulties in their analysis, they have been demonstrated to be one of the key plant metabolites owing to a wide spectrum of their health-promoting properties. Phenolic compounds constitute a very numerous group of natural organic substances that occur in various morphological parts of plants They exhibit especially strong antioxidative properties that protect defense systems of the body against destructive effects of free radicals. Little literature data is available regarding the profiles and concentrations of organic acids or sugar profile in fruits of peach [4, 5]
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