Journal of Fruit and Ornamental Plant Research Vol. 18(2) 2010: 39-50 THE PROFILE OF POLYPHENOLS AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF SELECTED APPLE CULTIVARS GROWN IN POLAND Aleksandra Duda-Chodak*, Tomasz Tarko, Pawe ł Satora, Pawe ł Sroka and Tadeusz Tuszy ń ski Department of Fermentation Technology and Technical Microbiology University of Agriculture in Krakow, Faculty of Food Technology Balicka 122, 30-149 Krakow, POLAND *Corresponding author: phone: +48 12 662 47 92; fax: + 48 12 662 47 98 e-mail: aduda-chodak@ar.krakow.pl (Received February 1, 2010/Accepted May 17, 2010) ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to determine the polyphenol profile and antioxidant ac- tivity of eleven apple cultivars harvested from an orchard in Garlica Murowana (Po- land). ‘Antonowka’, ‘Red Boskoop’, and ‘Winter Goldparmine’ had the highest anti- oxidant properties of all the cultivars studied. The profile of polyphenols was different in individual cultivars. In all the studied fruits, though, it was shown that (-)epicatechin, procyanidin B2, and chlorogenic acid essentially outnumbered other compounds quantitatively. The apple cultivars recommended for manufacturing apple preserves are presented. Key words: apple cultivars, antioxidant capacity, polyphenols INTRODUCTION Apples, together with oranges, bananas, grapefruits and grapes, are the top five consumed fruits in the world. In 2008, the annual apple harvest in Poland was estimated at about 2.83 million tonnes, and they constituted about ¾ of the total fruit production. Apples can be consumed fresh, but they are also a valuable raw material for processing into apple juice, concentrates, canned, frozen, dried, and stewed fruits, jellies, purée and cider. The percentage of apples used for processing increased in Poland from 50% in the 1980’s to about 70% in the 1990’s, and to 80% at the beginning of the new century (Brzozowski, 2009). Poland is one of the world leaders in production and export of apple juice concentrate.