Phenolic compounds and antiproliferative activity of apricots: Influence of canning, freezing, and drying. Issue 11 (10th September 2020) - Wani, Sajad Mohd
Abstract: In this study, the influence of various processing techniques (canning, freezing, and drying) and storage period on polyphenols and antiproliferative activity of different apricot varieties were evaluated. Evaluation of phenolic compounds by HPLC revealed that amongst various processed samples, canned apricots recorded highest ellagic acid (15.8 mg/Kg DW), gallic acid (7.9 mg/Kg DW), epicatechin(21.6 mg/Kg DW), epigallocatechin (15.3 mg/Kg DW), rutin (10.2 mg/Kg DW), contents followed by frozen and dried apricots ( p < .05). The phenolic compounds decreased significantly in all varieties as the storage period advanced. Antiproliferative properties of methanolic extracts of different apricot varieties on brain cancer cells revealed that inhibition of cell proliferation was observed when 50 μl of the extract was used compared to 10 μl and 50 μl methanol control. Among the varieties, CITH‐1 showed the highest cell proliferation inhibition. During processing antiproliferative activity of apricot samples increased and amongst processing methods canned apricots showed the highest activity. Practical applications: Due to the rise in health‐conscious consumers in recent times, the consumption of fruits rich in functional components has increased. For this reason, it is important to study the processing techniques that can help in retention as well as the stability of these health‐promoting molecules over a period of time. Canning, freezing, and drying are capable processing techniques for shelf life extension of apricots. In this perspective, this study investigated the effect and efficiency of these processing techniques on polyphenols and antiproliferative activity of apricots. Results revealed that these processing techniques have potential applications for retention of polyphenols and shelf‐life extension of perishable fruits like apricots and thus can be potential techniques for industrial utilization.