Comparative Study of Antioxidant Activity of Apple and Pear Peel

Apple and pear are popular fruits consumed in Korea and are common fruit in daily diet. In order to compare the antioxidant activity of the apple and pear peels, total polyphenol contents, total flavonoid contents, $ABTS^+$ free radical scavenging activity, and DPPH free radical scavenging activity were measured from hot water, ethanol, and methanol extracts of the two fruit peels. The total polyphenol and flavonoid contents were highest in 95% methanol extracts of the apple peelsand 70% ethanol extract of the pear peels, respectively. Total polyphenol contents of the pear peels were higher than that of apple peels, and total flavonoid contents of the apple peels were higher than that of pear peels. The apple and pear peels had the highest $ABTS^{+{\cdot}}$ and DPPH free radical scavenging activity in 95% methanol extracts and 70% ethanol extracts, respectively. $ABTS^{+{\cdot}}$ and DPPH free radical scavenging activity of pear peels was higher than that of apple peels, and the DPPH free radical scavenging activity of apple and pear peels were detected in hot water, 95% methanol, and 70% ethanol extracts, respectively. Ascorbic acid, a synthetic antioxidant used as positive control, had significantly higher scavenging activity than the apple and pear peels. In conclusion, the apple and pear peelshave great potential as natural antioxidants. Therefore, above results should be considered to provide the possibility for the development of high functional antioxidants.