Identification and quantification of polyphenolic compounds in ten pear cultivars by UPLC-PDA-Q/TOF-MS

•Proportion and content of phenolics in pears are closely related to the variety.•5-caffeoylquinic acid and (+)-catechin are predominant compounds in pears.•LC–MS2 method allows quinic acid isomers to be identified without the use of NMR.•Consuming high-phenolic-content pears may help prevent chronic diseases.

The aim of this study was to identify and compare phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols and procyanidins, flavonol glycosides, flavones and hydroquinones in different cultivars of pear. Pear fruits (Pyrus communis L.) of ten cultivars (‘Bonkreta Williamsa’, ‘Carola’, ‘Dicolor’, ‘Faworytka’, ‘Hortensia’, ‘Konferencja’, ‘Lukasówka’, ‘Nojabrska’, ‘Radana’ and ‘Uta’) were used in this study. Sixty-five phenolic compounds, including 26 phenolic acids, 22 flavan-3-ols and procyanidins, 15 flavonols, 1 flavone, and 1 hydroquinone, were determined in the examined samples using the ultra-performance liquid chromatography photodiode detector-quadrupole/time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-PDA-Q/TOF-MS) method. Major differences were found in the phenolic profiles of investigated cultivars. The ‘Radana’ cultivar exhibited the highest total phenolics content (894.9 mg/kg FW) and was characterized by the highest concentration of phenolic acids (503.1 mg/kg FW) and arbutin (70.8 mg/kg FW).