Phenolic and antioxidant composition of by-products from the cider industry: Apple pomace

Eleven different cider apple pomaces (six single-cultivar and five from the cider-making industry) have been analysed for low molecular phenolic profiles and antioxidant capacity. The Folin index ranged between 2.3 and 15.1 g gallic acid per kg of dry matter. Major phenols were flavanols, dihydrochalcones (phloridzin and phloretin-2′-xyloglucoside), flavonols and cinnamic acids (chlorogenic and caffeic acids). The group of single-cultivar pomaces had higher contents of chlorogenic acid, (-)-epicatechin, procyanidin B2 and dihydrochalcones, whereas the industrial samples presented higher amounts of up to four unknown compounds, with absorption maxima between 256 and 284 nm. The antioxidant capacity of apple pomace, as determined by the DPPH and FRAP assays, was between 4.4 and 16.0 g ascorbic acid per kg of dry matter, thus confirming that apple pomace is a valuable source of antioxidants. PLSR analysis gave reliable mathematical models which allowed to predict the antioxidant activity of apple pomace as a function of the phenolic profile. The variables with the higher modelling power were phloridzin > procyanidin B2 > rutin + isoquercitrin > protocatechuic acid > hyperin.