engleski

Composition and antioxidant activity of “Samoniklica” apple juice and jam

Jam of indigenous varieties of “samoniklica” apple is traditionally used in Bosnia and Herzegovina for strengthening the body, improving immunity and as a natural remedy for the treatment of iron deficiency, especially in pregnancy. Although juice and jam are potentially rich in iron and phenolic antioxidants, a high amount of sugar in them may be associated with oxidative stress. Furthermore, apples could be contaminated with heavy metals from the environment. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the justifiability of juice and apple jam use for traditional tonic purposes, as well as in the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia, and assess the benefits and risks of such an application. METHOD / DESIGN: For this purpose, the composition of phenolic antioxidants (total phenol, total flavonoids and phenolic acids), as well as total sugar content, were determined spectrophotometrically. Antiradical and iron chelating activity of the samples were determined by using DPPH free radical and ferrozine, respectively. The atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to assess the quantity of iron and other heavy metals. RESULTS: The tested samples contained relatively small amounts of phenolic antioxidants. Jam contained more total polyphenols (6.44 mg/g vs. 1.92 mg/g) and phenolic acids (1.18 mg/g vs. 0.06 mg/g) than juice. The amount of total flavonoids (41.09 g/g vs. 19.47 g/g) and sugars (79.2 mg/g vs. 58.5 mg/g) was, on the other hand, higher in the juice than in the jam. Both juice (0.69 mg/ml) and jam (5.76 mg/ml) were weaker radical scavengers than ether BHA (0.01 mg/ml) or ascorbic acid (0.02 mg/ml). Similarly, the chelating activity of the juice (8.49 mg/ml) and jam 0.46 (mg/ml) was lower than the activity of EDTA (2.0 g/g) or quercetin (9.6 g/g). Both samples contained iron, which was more abundant in juice. However, the amount of iron in 15 ml of jam, which is traditionally taken for iron deficiency, contains much lower dose of that mineral than the recommended daily dose of 18 mg/day. Furthermore it was found that the lead content deviates from the value prescribed by law, which can have negative effects on the organism, especially during pregnancy and lactation. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that the use of “samoniklica” jam in the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia is not justified.

“samoniklica” apple; iron; antioxidant; polyphenol

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