Antioxidant capacities vary substantially among cultivars of rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade)

Fruits from forty‐two blueberry cultivars, including thirty‐six rabbiteye (Vaccinium ashei Reade), three V. ashei hybrid derivatives and three northern highbush (V. corymbosum L.) standards, were evaluated for their antioxidant activities against peroxyl free radicals (ROO˙), hydroxyl radicals (OH˙), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), superoxide radicals () and singlet oxygen (¹O₂) radicals. The differences in scavenging capacities for these radicals among forty‐two selected blueberry cultivars were significant. Oxygen radical absorbance capacity values ranged from 33.8 to 118.7 μmol Trolox equivalents (TE) g fresh wt^?1, 196.1 to 518.8 μmol TE g dry wt^?1 and 7.1 to 22.2 μmol cm^?2‐surface area. Extracts from fruit of pure rabbiteye had higher levels of scavenging capacities of oxygen species , ¹O₂ and H₂O₂ compared to V. ashei hybrid derivatives and northern highbush blueberry standards. The rabbiteye cultivars ‘Early May’ and ‘Centurion’ had the highest scavenging capacity for the reactive oxygen species, not only for ROO˙ and ˙OH, but also for , ¹O₂ and a strong oxidant, H₂O_2. In contrast, ‘Pink Lemonade’ (pink‐fruited) had the lowest ability to inhibit free radical activity of ROO˙,˙OH, ¹O_2, and H₂O_2.‘Snowflake’ had the lowest scavenging capacity for . Blueberry cultivars with high antioxidant activity and radical scavenging capacity have potential to improve human health and can possibly be used as parents for future blueberry breeding programs to develop new blueberry cultivars with higher antioxidant activity.