Comparative assessment of polyphenolics’ content, free radicals’ scavenging and cellular antioxidant potential in apricot fruit

Natural antioxidants possess health beneficial properties and are being substantially used in foods, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. Polyphenolics content, antioxidant activity and HepG2 liver cancer cells’ inhibition potential were determined and compared in the fruit of apricot cultivars collected from lower Himalayan region of Pakistan using standard analytical procedures. Comparatively, fruit of AP3 cultivar had highest levels of total phenolics and total flavonoids contents (220.5 ± 15.9 mgGAE/100 g and 382.0 ± 18.0 mgQE/100 g, respectively) on fresh weight basis. Fruit of the same cultivar had maximum DPPH scvenging potential (94.24 ± 4.55%), oxygen radicals absorbance capacity at 4.71 ± 0.12 mMolTE/100 g and inhibition of HepG2 cancer cells (45.80 ± 4.01 µMolQE/100 g). Though, fruit of AP4 cultivar was rich in vanillic acid, caffeic acid, vanillin, epi-catechin and quercetin, but had relatively low antioxidant and anticancer potential. Disparities in the phytochemical composition and properties of apricot fruit are attributed to genetic differences and growing conditions. Total phenolics, total flavonoids and caffic acid depicted highly significant positive association (˃90%) with ORAC, CAA and FRAP. Our findings suggest that being a rich source of health beneficial secondary metabolites, apricot fruit of Himalayan region of Pakistan could contribute considerably in socio-economic development of the local communities and as a functional food in regional and global markets.