Antioxidant Activity of Selected Apple Cultivars Studied by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

The total antioxidant activity of three apple cultivars conventionally farmed (Jonagold, Golden Delicious and Idared) and two cultivars organically farmed (Jonagold and Golden Delicious) were investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The spin label used for experiments was TEMPO radical (2,2,6,6tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) with a well-defined EPR spectrum consisting of three equidistant peaks. The results obtained indicated difference in the total antioxidant activity of apples grown in two different ways, conventional and organic, as well as between different cultivars grown in the same way. The Golden Delicious cultivar is richer in antioxidants than the Jonagold and Idared, regardless of the method of farming. The difference between them is higher in conventionally grown apples than in organically farmed apples. Experimental data was fitted with non-linear curve fit for exponential decay of the first order based on the Levenberg-Marquardt method. The high values of the R2 parameters for all data indicated correctness in the proposition of exponential decay of the first order as a model describing the dynamic properties of spin labels which diminish in the presence of fresh apple juice.