Liquid chromatographic analysis of phenolic compounds in organically and conventionally grown varieties of sour cherries

Liquid chromatographic analysis of the polyphenols in sour cherries was achieved on bi-functional RP columns with a gradient prepared from methanol and aqueous formic acid. For quantitative analysis the compounds were detected at 320 nm. The method was validated for linearity, precision, and recovery. Chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, and rutin were detected in sour cherry cultivars. Amounts of neochlorogenic acid were in the range 471–590 μg g−1. For the three sour cherry cultivars investigated in this study there was no significant difference between the chlorogenic acid and rutin content of cherries produced by conventional and organic farming. There were, however, significant differences between the amounts of these compounds in cherries harvested in different years.