Phenolic Content, Antiradical, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Properties of Hawthorn (Crataegus elbursensis) Seed and Pulp Extract

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The hawthorn fruits have been used as food and medicine for centuries. In the present study, pulp and seed extract of Crataegus elbursensis Rech. F. fruits belonging to the family Rosaceae and native of northern part of Iran were evaluated for the polyphenol contents, antiradical, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities. The total phenolic, flavonoid, and anthocyanin contents of methanolic pulp extract were found to be more than those of methanolic seed extract. The DPPH radical scavenging, iron (III) reducing capacity, and total antioxidant activity of the extracts depended on concentration. A 200 μg ml-1 of C. elbursensis pulp and seed extract and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) exhibited 82.13, 83.47, and 85.44% inhibition, respectively. However, effect of the extracts in the total antioxidant activity and reducing power were not significantly as good as BHT. In addition, the results showed that both pulp and seed extract had inhibitory activity against the four bacteria tested, with the pulp extract showing more activity than the seed extract. Also, phenolic acids were identified by RP-HPLC and chlorogenic acid was the predominant phenolics in the samples. In conclusion, our results showed that C. elbursensis pulp and seed extract had strong antioxidant and antibacterial activities, which were correlated with its high level of polyphenols.