Fruit Characteristics and Variation of Phenolic Compounds in the Fruit of Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge) Selected from Korea and Chinese Cultivars

In order to select superior tree from Korea, five major phenolic compounds including (-)-epicatechin(EC), chlorogenic acid (ChA), hyperoside (HP), isoquercitrin (IQ), and procyanidin B2 (PC-$B_2$) in hawthorn fruit were evaluated. We also compared these hawthorn fruits of five clones with Chinese hawthorn cultivars. HPLC with a diode-array detector was used to determine the contents of the individual compounds. Hawthorn fruits of five clones (selected from different area of Korea), and four Chinese hawthorn cultivars grown in the Korea Forest Research Institute (Suwon) were utilized. With their high functional components, Jungsun is the clone including the highest contents of EC (11.26 mg/g) and PC-$B_2$ (24.46 mg/g). The clone of Chuncheon 15 had highest HP (0.53 mg/g) and IQ (0.41 mg/g). From the results, the clone of Jungsun and Chuncheon 15 can be evaluated to be selected breeding material for cultivar development.