Nobody eats a peach because they fancy a shot of carotenoids. Or do they? If so, they’d be better off choosing a yellow-fleshed variety. Scientists at Texas A&M University have examined the nutrients in 22 peach and 53 plum varieties and — Lo! — there are significant differences among them. ((Vizzotto, M., Cisneros-Zevallos, L., Byrne, D.H., Ramming, D.W. and Okie, W.R. 2006. TOTAL PHENOLIC, CAROTENOID, AND ANTHOCYANIN CONTENT AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF PEACH AND PLUM GENOTYPES. Acta Hort. (ISHS) 713:453-456.))
The differences in the genotype’s specific antioxidant capacity indicated that the phenolic profiles in the genotypes differ significantly. In general, the wide range of phytochemical content and antioxidant activity (AOA) found indicate that the genetic variability present can be used to develop cultivars with enhanced health benefits.
Meantime, if you can’t wait for new varieties, just pick red fleshed peaches for antioxidant activity and yellow ones for a vitamin A boost. Seriously, this is another little package of data on varietal differences, and as such we welcome it.
Hat tip: Seeds Aside.