Abstract:
Five loquat cultivars were used as the experimental materials,including “ Zaozhong No.6 ”,“Changhong”,“Jiefangzhong ” and “Baili” in Fujian province and the introduced “Ninghaibai” loquat. The composition and contents of phenolic compounds in the fruit pulp were determined. Meanwhile,the antioxidant activities of phenolic extracts were evaluated,and the correlative analysis between antioxidant capacity and antioxidant composition was assessed.The results showed the total phenolic content was 327.31~615.22 μg / g,and the sequence of their contents was“Jiefangzhong”>“Zaozhong No.6”>“Ninghaibai”>“Baili”>“Changhong”.Phenols from 5 cultivars showed strong radical scavenging activity against DPPH and ferric reducing power,the antioxidant potency composite followed the order: “Ninghaibai ” > “Zaozhong No.6 ” > “Jiefangzhong ” >“Changhong”>“Baili”. Seven phenolic compounds,including 3- Caffeoylquinic acid,4- Caffeoylquinic acid,5- Caffeoylquinic acid,epicatechin,Caffeic acid,ellagic acid and ferulic acid were identified from loquat fruits. The content of phenolic in different cultivars varied significantly. Among those compounds,3- caffeoylquinic acid showed the highest content followed by 5- caffeoylquinic acid and 4- caffeoylquinic acid,which showed a marked positive correlation with antioxidant capacity. The content of 3- chlorogenic acid in the five varieties reached a significant level.