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ABSTRACT
The phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of fruits are associated with their health benefits. Longan is a traditional Chinese edible and medicinal fruit, but its varietal differences in phytochemical profiles and antioxidant activity were unknown. Twenty-four longan cultivars from southern China were investigated in this study. Their total phenolic and flavonoid contents in pulp were 22.09–132.47 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g and 2.48–14.26 mg catechin equivalents/100 g, respectively. The mean contributions of free phenolics and flavonoids to the total were 82.5% and 94.0%, respectively. Among 10 individual phenolics detected by HPLC, the contents of epicatechin, 4-methylcatechol, chlorogenic, and vanillic acids were relatively higher. The cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) of longan pulp showed significant varietal discrepancies and positive correlation with phenolic and flavonoid contents. Phenolics in longan pulp of 24 cultivars showed lower CAA potential than many other fruits with the CAA qualities from 0.35 to 1.21 µmol quercetin equivalent/100 µmol total phenolics. Longan cultivars were classified into six groups by hierarchical clustering analysis. Six cultivars in group 4 and 6 had higher phytochemical contents and CAA activity.