Variations in antioxidant capacity of nectarine fruits (Prunus persica cv. red-gold) affected by harvest date

The influence of harvesting date on some physicochemical properties of nectarine (Prunus persica var. Red gold) fruit including fruit weight, pigment content, total carbohydrate, total phenol and antioxidant activity were studied. Fruits were harvested in four different stages; a) two weeks after fruit set, b) pit hardening, c) three weeks after pit hardening and 6 weeks after pit hardening. Results showed that the heaviest fruit either wet or dry was observed in the last harvesting date. The reduction in sucrose at the final harvest might be due to conversion to monosaccharides like fructose or glucose. On the other hand, although the content of total phenolic and flavonoid content of fruits were significantly reduced in the last harvest, no significant reduction was observed in their antioxidant activity. Generally, it can be concluded that compounds like anthocyanin, carotenoids and vitamin C play important role in antioxidant activity in ripened nectarine fruit and their content differ in different harvest times.