Antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of polyphenols from apple pomace

The antioxidant properties of apple polyphenols were evaluated using the β-carotene/linoleic acid system, DPPH radical and superoxide scavenging activities. The polyphenols examined were epicatechin, its dimer (procyanidin B2), trimer, tetramer and oligomer, quercetin glycosides, chlorogenic acid, phloridzin and 3-hydroxy-phloridzin. All the compounds showed strong antioxidant activities, and their DPPH-scavenging activities were 2–3 times and superoxide anion radical-scavenging activities were 10–30 times better than those of the antioxidant vitamins C and E.