Antioxidant activity and phenolic content in peach fruits from organic and integrated management

In recent years, increased attention has been focused on the phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables since their consumption was shown to have beneficial effects on human health. In this work, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), pH, total phenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC) and antioxidant activity (AA) were evaluated in the fruits of eight peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] cultivars grown in organic (OM) and integrated (IM) conditions. The content of phytochemicals in the peach fruits was shown to be affected by the orchard management and by the cultivar, with a significant interaction. In OM, ‘Spring Lady’ and ‘Fairtime’ showed the highest phytochemical accumulation in skin and flesh, respectively. In all cultivars, the nutraceutical parameters investigated were found to be significantly higher in the fruit skin than in the flesh.