Comparison of Antioxidant Activities and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Analysis of Polyphenol from Different Apple Varieties

Concentration of polyphenols in apples depends on factors such as harvest, cultivar, processing, and storage conditions. We aimed to identify essential polyphenols present in various apple varieties, and measure their free phenol and antioxidant capacities using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity, oxygen radical absorbance capacity, hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power methods, and correlating with the total polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity with high-performance liquid chromatography results. Thirteen apple varieties cultivated in northwest China showed significant polyphenol content. Hongxun 1 had the highest polyphenol content and antioxidant capacities in comparison with other apple varieties, while phlorizin showed the strongest 1,1-diphenyl-2-picylhydrazyl free radical scavenging rate (73.5 ± 2.7%), oxygen radical absorbance capacity value (44.6 ± 3.1 μmol TE/g), hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity value (61.9 ± 3.5 μmol TE/g), and ferric reducing antioxidant power value (0.53 ± 0.37 μmol TE/g). The antioxidant capacities of the polyphenol extract was related not only to its total polyphenol content but also to the phenolic composition.