Nutritional and health benefits of apricots

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International Journal of Unani and Integrative Medicine 2018; 2(2): 05-09
E-ISSN: 2616-4558
P-ISSN: 2616-454X
IJUIM 2018; 2(2): 05-09
Received: 02-02-2018
Accepted: 03-03-2018
Tabasum Fatima
Assistant Professor, Kashmir
Tibbiya College, Hospital and
Research Centre J & K, India
Omar Bashir
Phd Scholar, Division of Food
Science and Technology,
SKUAST Kashmir, India
GousiaGani
Phd Scholar, Division of Food
Science and Technology,
SKUAST Kashmir, India
Tashooq A Bhat
Phd Scholar, Division of Food
Science and Technology,
SKUAST Kashmir, India
Nusrat Jan
Phd Scholar, Division of Food
Science and Technology,
SKUAST Kashmir, India
Correspondence
Tabasum Fatima
Assistant Professor, Kashmir
Tibbiya College, Hospital and
Research Centre J & K, India
Nutritional and health benefits of apricots
Tabasum Fatima, Omar Bashir, Gousia Gani, Tashooq A Bhat and
Nusrat Jan
Abstract
Advances in food and nutrition have shifted the consumer preferences towards functional and
nutraceutical rich foods. In addition to natural antioxidant defence system, there are external sources
furnished via diet to quench free radicals and reactive oxygen species produced in the biological
systems. Apricot occupies a distinct position among stone fruits due to its multifaceted compositional
contour and significant functional potentials. It has a rich nutritional content in terms of sugars (more
than 60%) proteins (8%), crude fiber (11.50%), crude fat (2%), total minerals (4%), vitamins (vitamin
A, C, K and B complex) and reasonable quantities of organic acids (citric acid and malic acid) on dry
weight basis. Literature reports that there are appreciable amounts of total phenolic compounds and
flavonoids in the fruit which make them more valuable as functional food. The fruit has a great market
value as fresh and dried food commodity and has the highest market share of agricultural income. The
plant is reported to contain polysaccharides, polyphenol, fatty acid, sterol derivatives, carotenoids,
cynogenic glycosides and volatile component. In very small amounts, the hydrogen cyanide present in
apricot kernels has been traditionally prescribed in Chinese medicine for treating asthma, cough, and
constipation. Owing to its bioactive components of pharmacological importance, it has been found
effective against chronic gastritis, oxidative intestinal damage, hepatic steatosis, atherosclerosis,
coronary heart disease and tumor formation. The present review is an attempt to collect and
disseminate available information regarding nutritional and health potentials in apricot for the benefit
of researchers, consumers and other stakeholders.
Keywords: Apricots, bioactive composition, free radicals, functional foods, and phytochemicals
1. Introduction
Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) belongs to family Rosaceae. In angiosperms, Rosaceae is one
of the largest families having about 3,400 species including almonds, peaches, apples, plums,
cherries and berries, distributed throughout the northern temperate regions of the globe.
Apricot has been named by Romans most probably from the mixed accent of two words
“praecocia” from Latin meaning “early matured”, or “albarquq” from Arabic, meaning short
ripening period. It is a temperate fruit and grown in climates with well-differentiated
seasons. It requires a fairly cold winter and moderately high temperatures in the spring and
early summer (Ahmadi et al., 2008; Guclu et al. 2009) [1]. The apricot tree is deciduous and
needs a relatively cold winter for proper dormancy and flower bud development (400–600
hours below 7.2 °C during winter). The cultivation of apricots is not suitable in areas with a
subtropical climate.
Botanically, apricots are drupes like peaches, plums, cherries and mangoes in which the
outer fleshy part (exocarp and mesocarp) surrounds a hard stone (endocarp) with a seed
inside. Fruit color ranges between orange to orange red and some cultivars are cream white
to greenish white (Ruiz et al. 2008; Riu-Aumatell et al. 2009) [39, 41]. Apricot originated in
China and Central Asia (Yuan et al., 2007) [47] and has been cultivated in china since
2000BC. It gradually made its way through the Persian Empire into the Mediterranean,
where they were best adapted. This fruit has also been grown in mountainous slopes of Asia
and Europe for thousands of years. Presently, the main apricot cultivation regions include a
strip stretching from Turkey through Iran, the Himalayas, Hindukush to China and Japan.
However, the largest production of world apricot is supplied from the Mediterranean
countries (Leccese et al. 2007) [27]. According to FAO statistics (2010), the world’s largest
producers are Turkey and Iran accounting for 21.6% and 14.7% of world apricot production
respectively, followed by Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Italy, Algeria, Japan, Morocco, Egypt and
Spain. It is consumed in fresh, dried and frozen forms or used for preparation of jam, jellies,
and marmalades, pulp,

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juices, nectars and extruded products (Chauhan et al.,2001)
[13]. In addition, apricot kernels are considered to be an
excellent source of quality oil, being used for cooking
purpose, production of cosmetic products, benzaldehydes
and active carbon. The current trends in nutrition sciences
have attracted the consumers towards consumption of health
foods especially fruits and vegetables to fulfil their
nutritional needs and maintain a healthy life. The present
paper therefore aims to explore and summarizes the
available research information on apricot fruit regarding its
nutritional and health benefits.
Nutritional Significance
Among stone fruits, apricot is a carbohydrate- rich
commodity and is good source of fibers, minerals and
vitamins. Carbohydrate concentration in fresh apricots
ranges from 11-13% and provides 50 kcals of energy per
100g on fresh weight basis (Leccese et al. 2007) [27]. It is
also rich in bioactive phytochemicals that have certain roles
in the biological system and effective in preventing
oxidative stresses (Leccese et al., 2011) [28]. Apricot also
carries a reasonable amount of dietary fiber that ranges from
1.5-2.4g/100g on fresh weight basis (Ali et al. 2011) [4].
Fiber provides necessary roughage and bulk to the food
consumed, stimulates normal gastric mobility and prevents
constipation, as animal model studies of apricot fiber
significantly improved faecal output (Akin et al. 2007;
Tamura et al. 2011) [3, 44]. Soluble fiber lowers blood
cholesterol, maintain blood sugar level and helps in
reducing body weight. Apricots contain varied amounts of
essential minerals The major elements are potassium,
phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and selenium
(Munzuroglu et al., 2003; Ali et al.,2011) [4], while sodium,
manganese, zinc and copper are also present in small
amounts (Lichou et al., 2003; USDA, 2010) [30, 45].
Similarly, the vitamins found in apricot are pro- vitamin A,
vitamins C, K, E, thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3),
pyridoxine (B6), folic acid (B9) and pantothenic acid.
Apricot contains organic acids i.e. malic acid (500-
900mg/100g) and citric (30-50mg/100g) as the major acids
(Gurrieri et al. 2001), while presence of tartaric, succinic,
oxalic, galacturonic, quinic, malonic, acetic and fumaric
acid has also been reported (Hasib et al., 2002) [20]. From a
nutritional point of view, organic acids maintain acid base
balance in the intestine and improve bioavailability of iron.
Proteins and fats are found in minute quantities in the flesh;
however, apricot kernel has appreciable amounts of the
both, 20-30% and 40-52% respectively (Alpaslan and
Hayta, 2006).Average ranges of protein and fat in apricot
fruit is 1.4-2.0% and 0.4-0.6% respectively. The oil content
of seed ranges from 40-52%, which is rich in unsaturated
fatty acids (Alpaslan and Hayta, 2006) [6]
Phytochemicals in Apricot
Apricot fruit contain different levels of phytochemicals such
aspolyphenols (phenolic acids and flavonoids) and
carotenoids that contribute significantly to their taste, colour
and nutritional value (Dragovic- Uzelac et al. 2007) [14].
Phenolic compounds
Phenolic compounds are important plant chemicals and play
important roles in the living systems. There is considerable
interest in polyphenols and carotenoids because of their
antioxidant properties and possible ability to alleviate
chronic diseases (Gardner et al. 2000) [16]. Apricots contain
phenolic compounds (phenolic acids and flavonoids) and
total phenolic composition has been reported in the range of
50.00-563.00mg GAE/100g on fresh weight basis (Ali et al.
2011) [4]. Their concentration normally increases with the
maturity of fruit and attains maximum accumulation at fully
ripened stage; however, some phenolic constituents decrease
with the stage of maturity (Dragovic-Uzelac et al. 2007) [14].
Similarly, some studies have even shown high
concentrations of phenolics in unripe fruits (Kalyoncu et al.
2009) [23]. The phenolic acids such as chlorogenic,
neochlorogenic, isochlorogenic, caffeic, β- coumaric, p-
coumaric and ferulic acids derivatives are the most common
found in apricot (Sass-Kiss et al., 2005) [42]. Total flavonoid
content determined in apricot has been reported in the range
of 1.00- 12.00mg/100g on fresh weight basis (Miguel et al.,
2008). The main flavonoids are flavanols, anthocyanins and
flavonols respectively. Akbulut and Artik (2002) have
reported catechins as the most common phenolic compound
in apricots from Turkey. Similarly, chlorogenic acid has
been reported as the major phenolic compound from
Croatian apricots (Dragovic-Uzelac et al. 2007) [14].
Flavonoids in apricots mostly occur asglycosides and
rutinosides of quercetin, kaempferol and rutin.
Carotenoids
Carotenoids are bioactive compounds and the most
widespread group of pigments in nature and are present in
all photosynthetic organisms. They are responsible for
yellow to red colors of fruits and flowers (Rao and Rao,
2007) [38]. Carotenoids act as antioxidants through
scavenging the reactive oxygen species that cause oxidative
damage to living cells. They are possibly vital in preventing
many human degenerative disorders and maintaining good
health (Bramley, 2003) [10]. Apricot is among the
carotenoid-rich fruits and the content ranges from 2.00-
20.77mg/100g of β-carotene (Ali et al. 2011) [4]. The major
dietary carotenoids are β-carotene, γ-carotene and lycopene,
among them β-carotene represents more than 50% of total
carotenoids. Other carotenoids reported in apricot fruit
include, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, phytoene, phytofluene and
zeaxanthin. Apricot is an excellent source of β-carotene, the
main carotenoid that is precursor of vitamin A and confers
orange color to the fruits (Ruiz et al., 2005) [40]. Apricots
can be important dietary sources of pro-vitamin A, because
250g of fresh or 30g of dried apricots supply enough
carotenoids that fulfill the body requirements of vitamin A
(Marty et al. 2005) [31].
Functional Properties of Apricot
There is an increasing demand by the consumers for foods
that not only fulfill the basic need of nutrition but
additionally perform a disease preventive and curing role.
According to Karla (2003) [25], “functional foods aid in the
prevention and treatment of diseases”. The food components
meeting this purpose are mostly phytochemicals that are
being explored and studied for their potential roles in the
body. These compounds alleviate risk of free radicals that
cause oxidative damage to the living cells and result into
common degenerative disorders like cancer and
cardiovascular diseases (Boyer and Liu, 2004) [4]. Amongst,
phenolic compounds are considered to be very important as
antioxidants. Their antioxidant properties include; anti-
carcinogenic, anti-oxidant, anti- tumoral, anti-microbial,

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anti-aggregant, anti- ischemic, anti-allergic, anti-mutagenic
and anti-inflammatory as well as effective in alleviating
cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, certain functional
foods have been associated with improved mental capacity
(Howlett, 2008) [21], immunity and with anti-ageing benefits.
Apricot fruit in this context may be considered as a
functional food having appreciable amounts of biologically
active phytochemicals.
Antioxidant capacity of apricot
Oxidative stresses, due to production of reactive oxygen
species and free radicals cause damage to macromolecules
(protein, lipids and nucleic acids) and tissue injuries. These
conditions further lead to pathogenesis and chronic
disorders, including cancer, inflammations, ulcers, diabetes
and cardiovascular diseases (Halliwell and Aruoma, 1991)
[21]. The antioxidant properties of apricot fruit are attributed
to its rich phytochemical composition. Numerous studies
have revealed the potential of apricot to be considered as a
functional food based on its free radical scavenging
activities (Leccese et al. 2007) [27].
Apricot as folk medicine
Apricot has been used as a popular home remedy in China
and among the mountainous inhabitants of Himalayas for
centuries. The folk describes apricot as analgesic,
anthelmintic, antiasthmatic, antipyretic, antiseptic,
antispasmodic, demulcent, emetic, emollient, expectorant,
laxative, ophthalmic, pectoral, sedative, tonic and vulnerary.
Apricot fruit in Chinese medicine is thought to be useful in
regenerating body fluids, detoxifying and quenching thirst,
while kernels for toning respiratory system and alleviating
cough (Kan and Bostan, 2010) [24].
Role of apricot in degenerative diseases
Cancer
Cancer is the most common degenerative disease today and
the second cause of deaths in the USA after cardiovascular
diseases (Borek, 2004) [8]. A number of pharmacological or
physiological factors are responsible for the incidence of
apoptosis (Noonan et al. 2007) [36]. Neuhouser (2004) [35]
reviewed association of flavonoid intake with cancer
insurgence and concluded that there is substantial evidence
regarding the role of flavonoids in reducing the risk of lung
cancer. Apricots in a number of studies have shown anti-
carcinogenic potential. Enomoto et al., (2010) [15] have
established that consumption of 3 Japanese apricots daily
has an inhibitory effect on mucosal inflammation in the
stomach and chronic gastritis progressions related to
Helicobacter pylori infection. Miyazawa et al., (2006) [33]
investigated the role of (+)- Syringaresinol, a compound
isolated from unripe Japanese apricot in the motility
inhibition of H. Pylori. Similarly, fruit juice concentrates of
Japanese apricot prevented H. pylori induced glandular
stomach lesions in Mongolian Gerbils (Otsuka et al., 2005)
[37]. A compound extracted from a Japanese apricot variety
“MK615” has also shown anti-tumor activity against human
pancreatic cancer cells, colon cancer cells and liver cancer
cells in laboratory trials. Apricot and other prunacian family
seeds have been used in a number of pathological disorders
like asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, leprosy, colorectal
cancer, leucoderma and pain (Chang et al. 2005) [12]. The oil
of apricot was also used in England during the 17th century
to treat ulcers and tumors (Lewis et al. 2003) [29]. Human
studies on the effect of aqueous amygdaline extracts from
Armeniacae semen have shown apoptotic cell death of
prostate cancer (Chang et al. 2006).
Cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular diseases are among the main causes of
deaths all over the world. Associated risk factors include
high cholesterol, high homocysteine level, atherosclerosis
and many others (Schieber et al. 2001). Antioxidants have
been found effective in combating coronary heart diseases
(CHD). Phenolic components in apricots i.e. chlorogenic
acid, β-carotene and lycopene prevent the oxidation of low
density lipoprotein (LDL) and thus improve the
antioxidative status of the body (Chang et al. 2006) [11].
Apricot supplies significant amounts of fiber (soluble and
insoluble) (Ishaq et al. 2009) [22]. Soluble dietary fiber is
effective in reducing LDL cholesterolby binding bile acids
or cholesterol during intraluminal micelles formation; thus
decreasing the content of cholesterol in liver cells and
increasing clearance of LDL cholesterol (Aller et al.,2004)
[5].
Hepatic steatosis
Hepatic steatosis is mainly resulted from intra- cytoplasmic
accumulation of neutral fats in the liver tissues and is called
as fatty liver disease (FLD). The occurrence of this disease
in the general population may further lead to steatohepatitis,
advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis (Angulo, 2002) [7]. Apricot
has been shown to be effective in curing hepatic steatosis in
animal models.
Hemostasis
Several epidemiological studies have shown that intake of
dietary flavonoids and flavones are inversely associated
with the risk of cardiovascular disease (Neuhouser, 2004)
[35].This may be due to the effect of these compounds on
hemostasis, because flavonoids have been reported to inhibit
platelet aggregation in vitro. Raw apricots contain 5.47
mg/100 g of flavon- 3-ol (-) epicatechin, 4.79 mg/100 g of
flavon-3- ol (+) catechin and 2.08 mg/100 g of edible
portion of flavonol (USDA, 2007) and studies have revealed
that 2500 micromol/L of the flavonolquercetin and the
flavone apigenin significantly inhibited collagen-induced
and ADP-induced aggregation in platelet-rich plasma.
Conclusion
The scientific evidence reviewed regarding apricot’s
nutritional and functional attributes reveals that it is a rich
source of nutrients and biologically active compounds.
These substances have crucial roles in disease prevention
and health maintenance. The effectiveness of apricot against
stomach inflammations, hepatic disorder, tumour formation
and chronic heart disease suggests its use as a functional
food. The present review in this regard will help researchers
as a ready reference for further nutraceutical studies and
entrepreneurs for industrial exploitation of the fruit for
economic benefits.
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