Characterization and identification of some phenolic compounds in Apricot fruit (Prunus armeniaca L.)

Apricot is a climacteric fruit that could develop undesirable color, flavor and a loss of nutrients when submitted to mechanical and technological treatments through browning reactions. Enzymatic browning results from the oxidation of polyphenols by polyphenol oxidases in the presence of oxygen. Identification and characterization of polyphenolic composition of apricot fruits were carried out by chromatography on cellulose plates, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), UV-visible spectral analysis and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS). Eight major compounds were isolated and identified as protocatechuic acid, (+)-catechin, 3'-caffeoylquinic (or chlorogenic acid), (-)-epicatechin, naringenin-7-glucoside (or prunin), quercetin-3-glucoside, quercetin-3-rhamnoglucoside (or rutin) and kaempferol-3-rutinoside, by the comparison of characteristics with commercial standards, analyzed with the same conditions. Other compounds were characterized in apricot fruits using several methods. Data indicated that chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids, (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin and rutin were the major phenolic compounds in apricots. Protocatechuic acid, prunin and procyanidins B-2, B-3 and C-1 were characterized for the first time in apricot fruits.