Chemical profile and antioxidant potential of four table grape (Vitis vinifera) cultivars grown in Douro region, Portugal

The aim of this work was to improve the knowledge about the potential of Douro region (North of Portugal) to produce table grapes of superior quality. Skin, pulp, and seeds of four table grapes ‘Alphonse Lavallee’, ‘Cardinal’, ‘Dona Maria’ and ‘Muscat Hamburgo’ produced in Dour region, collected at commercial maturity stage, were evaluated. Phenolic compounds, organic acids and sugars were determined in each cultivar and in the different parts of the grape by HPLC-DAD, while the antioxidant properties were evaluated by DPPH, Cuprac and lipid peroxidation assays. Phenolics from different classes were found: four anthocyanins (delphynidin, cyanidin, petunidin and malvidin), two hydroxibenzoic acids (gallic acid and protocatechuic acid), three hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic, chlorogenic and coumaric acids), one flavonol (rutin), three flavan-3-ols ((+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, and (-)-epicagallocatechin)), one oligomer (procyanidin B2) and one stilbene (resveratrol). In addition, three organic acids (tartaric, malic and citric acids) and two types of sugars (glucose and fructose) were detected in all samples. Differences were found between cultivars (p<0.001) and sample material type (p<0.001). Skins presented the higher content in anthocyanins, seeds in flavan-3-ols and pulps in phenolic acids, organic acids and free-sugars. The cultivar ‘Cardinal’ showed the highest content in phytochemicals, while ‘Dona Maria’ was the cultivar with the lowest content. Nonetheless, the content of flavan-3-ols and organic acids in ‘Dona Maria’, associated with its higher antioxidant capacity, makes it an interesting choice as table grape from healthier point of view. According to our results, Douro region have proper environmental conditions to produce these table grapes.