RESUMO
The fruit quality parameters and antioxidant capacity (ferric reducing antioxidant power, FRAP) and total phenolic content (TPC) were determined in 27 apricot cultivars and hybrids of diverse origins. Twenty one- to 35-fold variations were measured among FRAP and TPC values. Besides genotype, harvest year also contributed significantly (P≤0.05) to the variations of TPC presumably due to the climatic differences between years. A subset of genotypes (15) was also analyzed for their antiradical activities (2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH; total radical-scavenging activity, TRSA; water-soluble antioxidant capacity, ACW; and lipid-soluble antioxidant capacity, ACL), and vitamin C contents as well as color indices (CIE H°, L*, and chroma). The hybrid "Preventa" had outstanding FRAP (>10.4 mmol ascorbic acid/L), DPPH (74.45%), TRSA (0.002%), ACW (33587.5 nmol AA/L) and ACL (78.65 nmol Trolox/L), TPC (>2890.0 mg gallic acid/L), and vitamin C (16.17 mg/100 g FW) levels and an average carotenoid content estimated from the hue angle (66.99°). Most antioxidant and antiradical activities correlated significantly except for TRSA; the closest correlation was observed between FRAP and ACW (r=0.952). Only TRSA showed significant correlations with color indices, H° and chroma, suggesting TRSA measures at least a fraction of the antioxidant capacity attributable to apricot carotenoids.