Investigating physico-chemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of some commercial peach cultivars fruit

In order to compare the antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content and physico-chemical characteristics of commercial peach cultivars, an experiment based on randomized complete design (RCD) with 6 treatments and 6 replications was conducted. The treatments included six cultivars of white peach, Fig peach, Green peach, Elberta, Redhaven and GHHale collected from Shahd Iran commercial Orchard in Mashhad. The analyzed parameters included fruit and stone weight, length and width fruit, soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, color variables like as L, a, and b, vitamin C, total phenolics compounds and total antioxidant activity in skin and pulp. The results showed that the heaviest and the lightest fruits in weight were produced by GHHale and Elberta, respectively. Total antioxidant activity and total phenol content varied up to 13-48 mg.ml-1 and 47-209 mg GA.100g-1 fresh weight, respectively. The antioxidant capacity of skin was higher than that of pulp. The best quality fruit in terms of highest vitamin c, total phenolics, total antioxidant activity and soluble solids was produced by green peach. White peach cultivar was suitable in terms of vitamin c, soluble solids and fruit weight, whereas its total phenolics and total antioxidant activity were the lowest. Some color parameters are usable in selecting fruit with high vitamin c and total antioxidant activity.