[Objective] The aim was to compare contents of free and bound polyphenol and antioxidation of balsam pear in different varieties. [Method] Fourteen varieties of balsam pear were chosen to analyze total contents of free or bound phenol and components of free phenol. FRAP （Freeic reducing/antioxidant power）, DPPH （1,1diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazy）, and ABTS ＋· （2, 2’-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid diammonium salt） were used to measure antioxidation and analyze relationship between polyphenol content and antioxidation. [Result] Among the fourteen varieties of balsam pear, free, bound and total phenols were 157.58 -382.92, 6.46 -54 and 175.27 -413.79 mg GAE/100 g DW; coefficients of variance were 23.50% , 61.04% and 21.58%, respectively; free phenol accounted for 91.34% of total phenol and bound phenol accounted for 8.66% ; contents of total flavone for the fourteen varieties were from 8.97 to 18.22 mg CE/100 g DW and the coefficient was at 22.80%; vanillic aldehyde acid, epicatechin and rutin differed in contents among different varieties, which changed in 1.83-9.29, 35.17-114.52 and 0.91-4.53 mg/100 g DW and the coefficients were 43.85%, 26.97% and 33.09%; FRAP antioxidation was at 272.16 -713.32 mg TE/100 g DW and coefficient at 27.67% ; IC 50 of DPPH and ABTS ＋· clearance were 11.43-34.14 and 21.57-119.71 mg GAE/100 g DW and coefficients were at 35.10% and 63.75% , accordingly; content of total phenol was of extremely positive correlation with FRAP （P0.01） and of extremely negative correlation with IC 50 of DPPH and ABTS ＋ · clearance （P0.01）. [Conclusion] Contents of phenolic compounds and antioxidation are of significant genotype differences; and phenolic substance and antioxidation are mainly in free form and phenolic substance is the major basis for antioxidation.
