Novel data on the polyphenol composition of Italian ancient apple cultivars

The pulp polyphenol composition of some Italian ancient apple cultivars, Dominici, Giachetta, Grigia di Torriana, Pom d’Aram, Ronzè and Ros Borsetta, was studied in comparison with a Golden Delicious commercial variety, over a three year period. Polyphenols were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with diode array and mass spectrometer detectors. The results showed that ancient varieties as Grigia di Torriana, Ros Borsetta and Giachetta constitute good sources of polyphenols, even without peel. Also, we demonstrated that some representative apple phenolics, as chlorogenic acid and phloridzin, are clearly affected by the harvesting year, whereas others, as catechins and procyanidins, are not.