Contribution of Individual Polyphenolics to Total Antioxidant Capacity of Plums

To study the effect of polyphenolics on antioxidant capacities of plums, the amounts of total phenolics, total flavonoids and individual phenolic compounds, and vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacity (VCEAC) of eleven plum cultivars was determined. There was a good linear relationship between the amount of total phenolics and total antioxidant capacity (r2 = 0.9887). The amount of total flavonoids and total antioxidant capacity also showed a good correlation (r2 = 0.9653). Although the summation of individual antioxidant capacity was lower than the total antioxidant capacity of plum samples, there was a positive correlation (r2 = 0.9299) of total antioxidant capacity of plum samples with the sum of the VCEACs calculated from individual phenolics. Chlorogenic acids and glycosides of cyanidin, peonidin, and quercetin were major phenolics among eleven plum cultivars. The antioxidant capacity of chlorogenic acids and anthocyanins showed higher correlation (r2) of 0.7751 and 0.6616 to total VCEAC, respectively, than that of quercetin glycosides (r2 = 0.0279). Chlorogenic acids were a major source of antioxidant activity in plums, and the consumption of one serving (100 g) of plums can provide antioxidants equivalent to 144.4−889.6 mg of vitamin C. Keywords: Plums; phenolics; flavonoids; HPLC; vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacity (VCEAC); ABTS•-; chlorogenic acid