Composition of Pink Lady
Pink Lady is an apple variety that contains various bioactive compounds, with higher concentrations of antioxidants in the peel compared to the flesh. 1, 2
Nutritional and Antioxidant Profile
- Pink Lady apples contain significant amounts of antioxidants, with the antioxidant activity varying between different parts of the fruit 1
- The peel of Pink Lady apples contains substantially higher concentrations of flavonoids and antioxidants compared to the flesh - approximately 13.8% higher antioxidant activity in the peel versus the juice 1
- The antioxidant content is directly related to the pomological classification of the apple variety 1
- Pink Lady apple peels contain phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and anthocyanins that contribute to their antioxidant properties 2, 3
Bioactive Components
- Pink Lady apples contain a complex of flavonoids that have demonstrated both antioxidative and potential anticancer effects in laboratory studies 2
- The peel-derived flavonoids from Pink Lady apples have shown greater effectiveness against cancer cells in vitro compared to flesh-derived flavonoids 2
- Peel extracts from Pink Lady apples have demonstrated IC50 values of 58.42 ± 1.39 mg/mL for MCF-7 breast cancer cells and 110.33 ± 2.52 mg/mL for LoVo colon cancer cells in laboratory studies 2
- The scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is significantly higher in the peel flavonoids compared to flesh flavonoids 2
Allergenic Properties
- Pink Lady apples contain allergenic proteins, including a 9-kDa protein that likely corresponds to Mal d 3, an apple allergen 4
- In studies of apple allergenicity, Pink Lady showed a moderate allergenic profile compared to other varieties like Starking (highest allergenicity) and Reineta Parda (lowest allergenicity) 4
- Patients with oral allergy syndrome may react differently to Pink Lady compared to other apple varieties due to variations in allergenic protein content 4
Processing Effects
- Radiation treatment of Pink Lady apples at doses above 3 kGy significantly decreases their antioxidant content - at 12 kGy, antioxidant activity decreases by 4.5-fold compared to untreated samples 1
- Processing methods such as blanching for 10 seconds followed by freeze-drying can help preserve the bioactive compounds in apple peels, including those from varieties like Pink Lady 3
- The antioxidant activity of processed apple peels can be equivalent to approximately 220 mg of vitamin C per gram of powder 3
Comparative Analysis
- When compared to other apple varieties like Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and Gloster, Pink Lady shows distinct antioxidant profiles and responses to processing 1
- Pink Lady apples demonstrate different antigenic and allergenic profiles compared to other commercial apple varieties, with variations in specific protein content 4