Comprehensive analysis of the internal structure and firmness in American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) fruit

Abstract

BackgroundCranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon L.) fruit quality traits encompass many properties. Although visual appearance and fruit nutritional constitution have usually been the most important attributes, cranberry textural properties such as firmness have recently gained importance in the industry. Fruit firmness has become a quality standard due to the recent demand increase for sweetened and dried cranberries (SDC), which are currently the most profitable cranberry product. Traditionally, this trait has been measured by the cranberry industry using compression tests; however, it is poorly understood how fruit firmness is influenced by other characteristics.ResultsIn this study, we developed a high-throughput computer-vision method to measure the internal structure of cranberry fruit, which may in turn influence cranberry fruit firmness. We measured the internal structure of 16 cranberry cultivars measured over a 40-day period, representing more than 3000 individual fruit evaluated for 10 different traits. The internal structure data paired with fruit firmness values at each evaluation period allowed us to explore the correlations between firmness and internal morphological characteristics.ConclusionsOur study highlights the potential use of internal structure and firmness data as a decision-making tool for cranberry processing, especially to determine optimal harvest times and ensure high quality fruit. In particular, this study introduces novel methods to define key parameters of cranberry fruit that have not been characterized in cranberry yet. This project will aid in the future evaluation of cranberry cultivars for in SDC production.

Vaccinium Species (Ericaceae): Phytochemistry and Biological Properties of Medicinal Plants

“…It is divided into four species: V. erythrocarpum (southern mountain cranberry ) ; V. macrocarpon (large cranberry, American cranberry, or bearberry) ; V. microcarpum (small cranberry) ; and V. oxycoccos (common cranberry or northern cranberry) [ 102 ]. The world’s most significant cranberry production is in North America, with an annual output of 436.691 tons, thus representing 58% of the world’s total cranberry production [ 103 ]. Acid soils and the peat of bogs, swamps, wet shores, and occasionally poorly drained upland meadows, are the perfect environments for growing fruits from the subgenus V. Oxycocc us, particularly these two species: V. macrocarpon and V. oxycoccos [ 104 ].…”

There and back again; historical perspective and future directions for Vaccinium breeding and research studies

“…In cranberry, GBS has been extensively used for linkage mapping [ 140 , 148 , 149 ]. The high-density linkage maps corresponded to the expected 12 chromosomes and allowed the identification of many cranberry QTLs associated with fruit rot resistance [ 140 ], fruit shape and size-related traits [ 150 , 151 ], fruit color, total anthocyanin content (TAcy), and Brix [ 152 ]. Cranberry GBS data have also been used in multivariate genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) approaches to test the accuracy of genomic selection for fruit weight and yield [ 153 ].…”

Oligosaccharides and Complex Carbohydrates: A New Paradigm for Cranberry Bioactivity

“…The berries, known as cranberries, are a major agricultural product in areas where it can be cultivated in both the United States and Canada [31][32][33]. When in season, October to December, the fresh berries are widely sold in U.S. grocery stores, but this accounts for a relatively small percentage (3-5%) of overall production [34]. Of the many different types of berries that are considered functional foods, cranberry is somewhat unique in that it is rarely consumed fresh due to the sour, astringent flavor of the berry [2,3].…”

“…The byproduct of juice production, the residual fruit hulls in the form of pomace, may be used as an animal feed additive or in the production of other foods and nutraceuticals [38][39][40][41]. Whole berries may also be processed into specialty foods or extracts by various methods, and products include sweetened dried cranberries [34,42], canned cranberry sauce [43][44][45], and various foods to which cranberry materials have been added. that many such products may contain adulterants, may have low total cranberry content, or may lack most of the diverse cranberry phytochemicals that are believed to contribute to biological activity [48][49][50][51][52][53].…”

“…Primary cell wall components such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectins are high MW structural polysaccharides that are likely to possess similar structural features across multiple species within a given genus [77,[102][103][104][105]. During fruit ripening and softening, before and after harvest, and during storage, these structural polymers are broken down by natural enzyme cleavage to yield lower MW oligomers with various degrees of polymerization (DP) [34,67,68,77]. Structural polymers may also be affected by commercial enzyme preparations and other degradative processes that occur during fruit juice production and processing, leading to the generation of lower MW oligosaccharides (DP 3-10) [65,77,106].…”