Phytochemical Attributes of Some Dried Fig (Ficus carica L.) Fruit Cultivars Grown in Iran

In the present study, total phenolic, total flavonoids, total anthocyanins, total antioxidant capacity, total soluble solids, colour parameters (such as L*, a*, b*, C*, and H°) and phenolic compounds, including catechin, total catechin, quercetin-3- glucoside, total quercetin, and chlorogenic acid of nine dried fig fruit cultivars in Fars province, Iran, were studied since only limited information on that topic is available in the literature. Results showed that the total phenolic content in ‘Khafrak’ cultivar was significantly higher than other examined cultivars. Regarding to the values of total antioxidant capacity, there were no statistically significant differences among the majority of cultivars except between ‘Khafrak’ and ‘Rowno’. Except for ‘Khafrak’ and ‘Rowno’, TF content in ‘Sigoto’ was significantly higher than the other examined cultivars. Anthocyanin content in all cultivars was negligible and it was not detected in some cultivars. Based on colorimetric results, the lightest skin color was observed in ‘Shahanjir’, while the darker color was in ‘Seyah’. Significant differences were determined among the cultivars with respect to the distribution of phenolic compounds. Catechin and total quercetin contents in ‘Matti’ were significantly higher than the other examined cultivars. Results suggest that chlorogenic acid played a trifling role in determination of antioxidant capacity of the fruits. In addition, the cluster analysis based on Euclidean distance with Unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic average (UPGMA) method separated the cultivars into three main groups