Physicochemical and Nutritional Characterization of Brebas for Fresh Consumption from Nine Fig Varieties (Ficus caricaL.) Grown in Extremadura (Spain)

Abstract

The quality characteristics of brebas for fresh consumption from nine fig varieties at different commercial ripening stages were determined. Physicochemical and nutritional parameters were analyzed for both skin and flesh, and the findings were compared among varieties and ripening stages. The results revealed that the major nutrient components in brebas are sugars, such as glucose and fructose, and mineral elements, including K, Ca, P, and Mg. Most nutrients evaluated are important elements that contribute to the commercial quality of brebas. “Brown Turkey” and “Banane” varieties showed the highest weight and width. The concentrations of the monomer sugars studied were higher in flesh than skin, and the “Cuello Dama Blanco” and “Colar Elche” varieties showed the highest content of these sugars. The early ripening stage, coinciding with a fast increase in fruit size, was also associated with a higher fiber and protein contents, TA, and firmness for “Banane,” “Brown Turkey,” and “Blanca Bétera” varieties. Conversely, the later ripening stage was related to a significant increase of TSS, MI, and color intensity. Finally, no clear changes in the concentrations of organic acids were observed between different varieties and commercial ripening stages.

Assessment of Morphological Traits and Fruit Metabolites in Eleven Fig Varieties (Ficus Carica L.)

“…Overall, organic acids, were lower in dark-colored fig cultivars. The findings are in agreements with results reported by Colaric et al (2005) and Pereira et al (2017). According to the same authors, malic and citric acid have been identified as the major organic acids in figs.…”

Evaluation of the Physicochemical and Sensory Characteristics of Different Fig Cultivars for the Fresh Fruit Market

“…Initially, the mean fig firmness values were 2.57 N mm −1 at Stage 1, decreasing to 0.75 N mm −1 at Stage 3. Our results during the ripening process of fig cultivars were similar to those obtained by other authors [17,22]. Regarding cultivar differences, the firmness values of SA and BB were higher than those of most of the cultivars studied, whereas TV presented firmness values significantly lower than the rest of the cultivars for all ripening stages studied.…”

“…The nine fig tree cultivars studied for fresh consumption in the order of ripening (early, middle or late) were 'San Antonio'(SA), 'Blanca Bétera' (BB), 'Brown Turkey'(BT), 'Tres Voltas L'Any'(TV) as early cultivars, 'Banane'(BN) as mid cultivar, 'Cuello Dama Blanco' (CDB), 'Cuello Dama Negro'(CDN), 'Colar Elche'(CE), and 'De Rey' (DR) as late cultivars. Studies of morphological and molecular characterisation conducted in Spanish germplasm fig indicate that 'Cuello Dama Blanco' and 'Colar Elche' are the same varieties as 'Kadota' and 'Mission', respectively [19][20][21] hand-collected when they were fully mature and were harvested during two consecutive seasons from an experimental orchard established in 2007 and previously described in our previous work [22].…”

“…Skin and flesh colour of figs was measured according to Pereira et al [22]. The parameters brightness (L*), chroma (C*) and hue angle (h*) were measured using a Konica Minolta CM600 spectrophotometer in accordance with the CIELab system.…”

“…A 6% deformation was applied by a 70 mm aluminium plate coupled to a TA.XT2i Texture Analyser (Stable Micro Systems, Godalming, UK) to measure firmness in N mm −1 [22].…”