Flavonoid and chlorogenic acid profiles of English cider apples

The phenolics in 20 apple cultivars comprising 19 English cider apple varieties and one dessert apple variety were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The cider varieties contained higher levels than the dessert apple and the peel was richer in phenolics than the flesh. The phenolic concentrations ranged between 230 and 4920 mg kg-1 fresh weight in the flesh and between 546 and 6306 mg kg-1 fresh weight in the peel. Fifteen compounds from five different phenolic groups, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, anthocyanins, hydroxycinnamates and dihydrochalcones, were detected. The major components in the flesh were 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, procyanidin B2 and (-)-epicatechin, while (-)-epicatechin and quercetin glycosides predominated in the peel.