Analysis of selected primary metabolites and phenolic profile of ‘Golden Delicious’ apples from four production systems

Abstract

-Introduction. Apple fruit contains many compounds with positive effects on human health but even small pesticide residues from integrated production cause many food safety issues for consumers. Materials and methods. The apple fruits from different types of production: organic, integrated and two combined systems were analyzed. Their contents of sugars and organic acids were quantified with the use of HPLC with RI and UV detectors, and phenolic contents from apple skin and pulp were detected with HPLC-MS. Apple quality was also determined in terms of weight, firmness and color. Results. Organically produced fruits had 14% lower weight than integrated fruits, as well as 15% higher firmness and less green skin color than apples from the other three treatments. Among primary metabolites, the sum of sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose and sorbitol) as well as organic acids (malic and citric) was highest in the integrated production treatment. Among secondary metabolites, eighteen individual phenolic compounds were determined separately in apple peel and pulp. They were classified into four groups: hydroxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ols, dihydrochalcones and flavonols. The majority of the identified compounds were dependent on the applied management system. Their concentrations were mainly highest in the organic treatment due to higher stress levels. The multivariate analysis of all monitored parameters placed organic production into one group and presented a similarity among the other three management systems.Slovenia / Malus domestica / fruits / integrated plant production / organic agriculture / proximate composition / quality / Hplc Analyse de certains métabolites primaires et du profil phénolique de pommes 'Golden Delicious' issues de quatre systèmes de production.Résumé -Introduction. La pomme contient de nombreux composés ayant des effets positifs sur la santé humaine, mais les résidus, même faibles, de pesticides issus de productions inté-grées provoquent de nombreux problèmes de sécurité alimentaire pour le consommateur. Matériel et méthodes. Les pommes issues de différents types de production (biologique, intégré et deux systèmes combinés de production) ont été analysées . Leur teneur en sucres et en acides organiques ont été quantifiées par utilisation de l'HPLC avec des détecteurs RI et UV ; les contenus phénoliques de la peau et de la chair des pommes ont été détectés par une HPLC-MS. La qualité des pommes a été également déterminée en termes de poids, fermeté et couleur du fruit. Résultats. Les fruits produits de façon biologique ont présenté un poids infé-rieur de 14 % par rapport aux fruits produits par un système intégré; leur fermeté a été amélio-rée de 15 % et leur couleur de peau a été moins verte que celle des pommes en provenance des trois autres traitements. Parmi les métabolites primaires, la somme des teneurs en sucres (fructose, glucose, saccharose et sorbitol) ainsi que celle des teneurs en acides organiques (acide malique et citrique) ont été les plus élevées pour les pommes issues d...

Characterization of Old Apple Cultivars from Bosnia and Herzegovina by Means of Pomological and Biochemical Analysis

“…Varieties often differ considerably in content of TA which affects the taste of an apple. The same trend is observed in our old varieties in this research, but also in other apple varieties of the Balkan region (Jacopic et al, 2012;Šavikin et al, 2014). Excellent adaptability of indigenous varieties to changing climatic conditions and stress is a result of production of secondary metabolites in greater quantities than in commercial varieties, resulting in better nutritional value of these varieties, as well as in a richer flavor (Lutaladio et al, 2010).…”

Influence of different heat treatments on the content of phenolic acids and their derivatives in selected fruits

“…Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) fruit, a very rich source of phenolic compounds [14], exert anti-adipogenic [15], antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity (colon, breast, lung and gastric human tumor cells) [15][16][17]. Also, apples have previously been pointed out as a source of a wide range of different phenolic compounds, including phenolic acids [18].…”

Phenolic profile and antioxidant activity in apple juice and pomace: effects of different storage conditions

“…There are five major groups of phenolic compounds in apples: hydroxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanins, flavonols and dihydrochalcones. However, the phenolic profile of apples is much more complicated due to polymerisation of flavan-3-ols, as these compounds can be found as monomers, dimers and polymers (procyanidins) and glycosylation of other compounds, such as flavonols [7]. Many factors, such as genetic, agronomic and environmental ones, influence the complexity of the phytochemical profile of apples and these variations predispose the differences in apple antioxidant activity [7][8][9].…”

“…However, the phenolic profile of apples is much more complicated due to polymerisation of flavan-3-ols, as these compounds can be found as monomers, dimers and polymers (procyanidins) and glycosylation of other compounds, such as flavonols [7]. Many factors, such as genetic, agronomic and environmental ones, influence the complexity of the phytochemical profile of apples and these variations predispose the differences in apple antioxidant activity [7][8][9]. Moreover, it is important to take into consideration the bioavailability and the bioactivity of an antioxidant compound in the human body, and not only the amount introduced by the diet [10].…”