Resumen de Nutritional and phytochemical characterization of apple cultivars from the Protected Geographical Indication of Alcobaça, Portugal

D.P.F. Almeida, M.S. Girão, S. Gomes, M. Pintado, M. H. Gomes

• The nutritional and phytochemical composition of seven apple (Malus × domestica) cultivars from the Alcobaça Protected Geographical Indication, Portugal was characterized at the eating maturity stage. Apple fruit had an average content of dietary fiber of 2.1 g/100 g, with the highest levels measured in the traditional variety ‘Casa Nova’ (2.7 g/100g) and in ‘Reinette’ (2.4 g/100g). The latter variety also had the highest content of minerals. ‘Reinette’ had a high content of vitamin C, and the higher levels of flesh total phenolics were observed in ‘Reinette’, ‘Jonagored’, ‘Casa Nova’, ‘Fuji’ and ‘Starking’. ‘Reinette’ and ‘Casa Nova’ had the highest levels of flesh flavonoids. Despite the high levels of flavonoids in the flesh of ‘Reinette’, quercetin and rutin were undetectable in this variety. These two flavonoids were found in the peel of apples, with average concentrations of 7.3 mg/kg and 5.6 mg/kg for quercetin and rutin, respectively. The concentration of anthocyanins in the peel were higher in ‘Starking’ and ‘Galaxy’, whereas ‘Granny Smith’, ‘Reinette’ and ‘Starking’ had the highest concentration of peel carotenoids. ‘Reinette’ and ‘Casa Nova’ had the highest antioxidant activity in the flesh and ‘Starking’ the highest antioxidant activity in the peel. The lowest peel antioxidant activity was measured on ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Granny Smith’. The study highlights the variability in nutritional and phytochemical content among apple varieties, supporting possible nutritional marketing segmentation, and supports the advantages of eating apple with the peel where the highest concentrations of phytochemicals are found.