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Evaluation of the Presence of Phenolic Compounds in Different Varieties of Apple by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Tandem Mass Spectrometry

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Abstract

Phenolic acids, flavanols, flavonols, flavones and dihydrochalcones are found in apples. An extraction procedure with minimal pre-treatment and an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method have been validated to determine polyphenols in flesh and peel of several varieties of apples (Golden, Granny, Pink Lady, Red, Royal, Ambrosia and Fuji). The varieties with the highest concentration of phenolic compounds in flesh were Granny and Fuji (793.8 and 793.1 mg/kg dry weight (DW), respectively), whereas the highest concentration in peel was obtained in Pink Lady (4,106.7 mg/kg DW), showing significant differences in relation to the other varieties. The peel of apple showed higher polyphenolic content than flesh because of the high levels of flavonols glycosides, epicatechin and phloridzin. The phenolic content in fresh-cut apple (Royal variety) was also evaluated, observing a higher concentration of phenolic compounds in fresh apple (562.8 and 3,339.5 mg/kg DW in flesh and peel, respectively) than in fresh-cut apple (375.8 and 2,475.3 mg/kg DW in flesh and peel, respectively).

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Andalusian Regional Government (Regional Ministry of Innovation, Science and Enterprise), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (Ref. P11-AGR-7034), the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) and FEDER (IDI-20110017) for financial support. MIAF acknowledges her grant (FPU, Ref: AP 2009-2074) from the Spanish Ministry of Education. RRG is also grateful for personal funding through the ‘University Research Plan’ (Almería University) and Cajamar.

Conflict of Interest

María Isabel Alarcón-Flores has no conflict of interest. Roberto Romero-González has no conflict of interest. José Luis Martínez Vidal has no conflict of interest. Antonia Garrido Frenich has no conflict of interest. This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Physics (Analytical Chemistry Area), Research Centre for Agricultural and Food Biotechnology (BITAL), University of Almeria, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, ceiA3, 04120, Almeria, Spain

    María Isabel Alarcón-Flores, Roberto Romero-González, José Luis Martínez Vidal & Antonia Garrido Frenich

Authors
  1. María Isabel Alarcón-Flores
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  2. Roberto Romero-González
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  3. José Luis Martínez Vidal
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  4. Antonia Garrido Frenich
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Correspondence to Antonia Garrido Frenich.

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Alarcón-Flores, M.I., Romero-González, R., Martínez Vidal, J.L. et al. Evaluation of the Presence of Phenolic Compounds in Different Varieties of Apple by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Tandem Mass Spectrometry. Food Anal. Methods 8, 696–709 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-014-9931-6

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