‘Limoncella’ apple, an Italian apple cultivar: Phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity

‘Limoncella’ is a variety of apple traditionally cultivated in south-central Italy since ancient Roman times. The relationship between phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of apple peel and flesh was investigated. Apple extracts analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography, showed that compared with flesh, peel was richer in all the quantified phenols. The most abundant polyphenols were the flavanols catechin and epicatechin, and the chalcones phloridzin and phloretin xyloglucoside.The extracts were evaluated for their radical-scavenging activity by the DPPH and H2O2 methods, and the antioxidant activity through reduction of Mo(VI) and inhibition of the formation of TBARS species.