| Abstract
Purpose – The antioxidant characteristics of fruits can be attributed to their contents of polyphenols
and vitamins. Because of the interest in the role of antioxidants in human health, the purpose of this
paper is to examine the major compounds associated with antioxidant activity, namely total phenolic
and vitamin C contents, of some regularly cultivated and consumed fruits in Iran.
Design/methodology/approach – In total, 66 fruits from 22 families were chosen for this study.
Terbium sensitized fluorescence assay and spectrophotometric method were used to determine total
polyphenol and vitamin C contents respectively. The ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc test was used for
statistical analyses.
Findings – The total mean polyphenol content of fruits was 4.93 ± 2.86 mg QE/100 g that were
ranging from 0.8 ± 0.05 to 11.94 ± 0.02 mg QE/100 g with the lowest amount obtained for pear and
the highest amount detected in black grape. The polyphenol contents of black grape, sourcherry and
pomegranate were significantly higher than those of other fruits (p < 0.001). The total mean vitamin
C content of fresh fruits was 18.34 ± 9.77 mg/100 g that were ranging from 57.38 ± 0.02 (strawberry)
to 11.44 ± 0.02 (melon) mg/100 g. The vitamin C contents of strawberry was significantly higher
than all other fruits (p < 0.001). Despite the differences in the polyphenol and vitamin C contents of
various fruits, as a good source of nutritious compounds and functional foods, they can be effective in
enhancing health status.
Originality/value – This paper is believed to be the only one which provides information about the
polyphenol and vitamin C contents of Iranian fruits. Also, the polyphenol content was measured by
using a newly-developed method. |