Quality Characteristics and Antioxidant Activity of Unripe Peach (Prunus Persica L. Batsch) Extracts with Distilled Water Coupled with Ultrasonication and Prethanol-A

Abstract

ABSTRACT Peach, an important fruit crop for its health benefits, is grown in different parts of the world. A huge amount of unripe peaches, which are obtained during fruit thinning or as natural fruit drop, are generally discarded as waste. It would be very fortunate for the fruit growers if the thinned out or naturally dropped peaches could be utilized as valuable resources. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality characteristics and antioxidant potential of unripe peach of two cultivars, Changhowon Hwangdo and Kanoiwa Hakuto extracted with distilled water coupled with ultrasonication or prethanol-A, an ethanol-based food preservative. The physicochemical characteristics (pH, titratable acidity, soluble solid content, color value, mineral content, DPPH radical scavenging potential, and total phenol content) of the extracts significantly varied with cultivar, extracting solvent and/or their interaction. The results of this experiment showed that unripe peach fruits could be used as an inexpensive source of antioxidants and phenolic compounds, which could even be extracted with distilled water, and possess a big potential to be used in food and cosmetic industries.