1H NMR Metabolic Fingerprinting to Probe Temporal Postharvest Changes on Qualitative Attributes and Phytochemical Profile of Sweet Cherry Fruit

Abstract

Sweet cherry fruits (Prunus avium cvs. ‘Canada Giant’, ‘Ferrovia’) were harvested at commercial maturity stage and analyzed at harvest and after maintenance at room temperature (storage at ∼20°C, shelf life) for 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days, respectively. Fruit were initially analyzed for respiration rate, qualitative attributes and textural properties: ‘Canada Giant’ fruit were characterized by higher weight losses and stem browning index, being more intense over the late stages of shelf life period; meanwhile ‘Ferrovia’ possessed appreciably better performance even after extended shelf life period. A gradual decrease of respiration rate was monitored in both cultivars, culminated after 8 days at 20°C. The sweet cherry fruit nutraceutical profile was monitored using an array of instrumental techniques (spectrophotometric assays, HPLC, 1H-NMR). Fruit antioxidant capacity was enhanced with the progress of shelf life period, concomitant with the increased levels of total anthocyanin and of phenolic compounds. ‘Ferrovia’ fruit presented higher contents of neochlorogenic acid and p-coumaroylquinic acid throughout the shelf life period. We further developed an 1H-NMR method that allows the study of primary and secondary metabolites in a single running, without previous separation and isolation procedures. Diagnostic peaks were located in the aliphatic region for sugars and organic acids, in the aromatic region for phenolic compounds and at 8.2–8.6 ppm for anthocyanins. This NMR-based methodology provides a unifying tool for quantitative and qualitative characterization of metabolite changes of sweet cherry fruits; it is also expected to be further exploited for monitoring temporal changes in other fleshy fruits.

Comparative Physiological and Proteomic Analysis Reveal Distinct Regulation of Peach Skin Quality Traits by Altitude

“…Harvest quality evaluation included subjunctive and objective analysis of skin color, and objective analysis of fruit firmness, soluble solids concentration (SSC), and titratable acidity (TA). Skin foreground (darkest red) and background color on two opposite sides of each fruit were measured objectively using a colorimeter (Konica Minolta CR200 Chroma Meter, Konica Minolta Sensing, Inc., Osaka, Japan) and the CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) parameters ( L * , a * , b * ), as previously described (Goulas et al, 2015). The percentage of red-blushed surface was subjectively estimated as the percentage of red overcolor on the total peach surface.…”

Fruit chemistry, nutritional benefits and social aspects of cherries.

“…For sweet cherry, reported values range as low as 12.3 g per 100 g FW in 'Van' (González-Gómez et al, 2010) to 24.5 g per 100 g FW in 'Salmo' (Girard and Kopp, 1998). Such differences in TSS can be attributed to microclimatic conditions, rootstock selection and planting system, as well as differences in the physiological stage adopted as a harvesting criterion (Goulas et al, 2015). Finally, it has also been reported that TSS must be above the threshold of 14.0-16.0 g per 100 g FW as acceptable for marketing cherries (Crisosto et al, 2003).…”

“…Recently, the sweet cherry fruit nutraceutical profile has been monitored using an array of instrumental techniques, including spectrophotometric assays, HPLC and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) (Goulas et al, 2015). In particular, NMR spectroscopy allows a rapid screening of specific primary and secondary metabolites of sweet cherries; Goulas et al (2015) showed that the resonance of H-4 can be used to discriminate anthocyanins in fruit extracts as it appears at 8.2-8.6 p.p.m., a non-overcrowded region of the spectrum. The resonance of H-4 is dependent on the substitution of the anthocyanin skeleton and the discrimination of anthocyanins in a complex mixture is feasible.…”

“…Cherry nutritional composition, phytochemical content and antioxidant capacity should be considered on a cultivar/genotype basis since many new cultivars that enter into the market through the breeding programmes (Sansavini and Lugli, 2008) have apparent differences for both qualitative and phytochemical antioxidants contents (Ballistreri et al, 2013;Goulas et al, 2015). The breeding programmes have led to the release of numerous cultivars, where the main attributes considered were bearing habits, ripening period, fruit size and yield, increased fertility, reduced susceptibility to environmental damage and diseases, extension of seasonality, especially for early-ripening genotypes, and resistance to cracking.…”

Genotype, Environment and Management Practices on Red/ Dark-Colored Fruits Phenolic Composition and Its Impact on Sensory Attributes and Potential Health Benefits

“…All the phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activity increased in several sweet cherry cultivars during cold storage [26,27,32,35]. Also, the level of phenolics in "Canada Giant" and "Ferrovia" cherries increased during 8 days of shelf life [36]. Nevertheless, Esti et al [37] detected a total anthocyanin content decrease of 41-52% in two sweet cherry cultivars after 15 days at 1°C and 95% RH.…”