Chemical composition and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of peels and flesh from 10 different pear varieties (Pyrus spp.)

•Chemical composition in peels and flesh of 10 pears cultivars were compared.•Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of 10 pear cultivars were evaluated.•Correlation analysis and PCA were carried out to compare the qualities. This study was performed to compare the contents of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and total triterpenes between peel and flesh of ten different pear cultivars. The monomeric compounds were analyzed by HPLC, their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were also measured. Peel and flesh from Yaguang, Hongpi, Qingpi and Guifei varieties contained relatively more total phenolic, total flavonoids and total triterpene, and showed stronger antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, while Lvbaoshi and Youran appeared to be weakest among them. All the chemical components found in the pear peel were approximately 6–20 times higher than those in the flesh of pear. For the monomeric compounds, arbutin, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, and rutin were the dominant components contained in the ten pear cultivars both in peel and in flesh. All of the analyses suggested that the peel of pear might be an excellent polyphenol and triterpenes source.