Apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) is one of the most used fruit for beverages in Romania. The goal of the study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity and discrimination of various parts of organic and non-organic apple varieties cultivated in the western region of Romania using the DPPH kinetics–PCA (principal component analysis) approach. Organic and non-organic apples were subjected to solid–liquid ethanol extraction. Core and shell extracts were mixed with DPPH· and spectrophotometrically monitored at 517 nm. Antioxidant activity and mean DPPH· reaction rate at various time ranges reveal significant differences between organic and non-organic samples, as well as apple parts. Organic core and shell extracts had higher antioxidant activities than the corresponding non-organic samples (74.5–96.9% and 61.9–97.2%, respectively, 23.5–94.3% and 59.5–95.5%). Significant differences were observed for the DPPH· reaction rate for the first ½ min, especially in the presence of organic core extracts (3.7–4.8 μM/s). The organic samples were well discriminated by DPPH· kinetics–PCA, the most important variables being the DPPH· reaction rate for the first time range. This is the first DPPH· kinetics–PCA approach applied for discriminating between organic and non-organic fruits and can be useful for evaluating the quality of such type of fruits.

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The aim of this paper is to make a brief characterization of some fig genotypes based on their biochemical composition. Fruit moisture, sugar content, total phenolic content (TPC) and macro/micronutrient content were determined for 14 fig genotypes from the South-West region of Romania. The fruit moisture values varied between 75.16 % and 84.68 % and the sugar content ranged between 18.15 % and 28.90 %. It was found that the dark skinned figs had the highest TPC (109.11 mg GAE/100g FW in S1 genotype), compared to the light skinned ones (14.64 mg GAE/100g FW in L1 genotype). Calcium and potassium were found to be the predominant macronutrients, followed by magnesium and phosphorus. Sodium, iron and zinc were found to be the most abundant micronutrients in the studied fig fruits.

Urban horticulture has to respond to several challenges, including reducing the growth vigor of the scion/rootstock combination, adapting the cultivated species/variety to the pedoclimatic conditions—more varied in recent years, and increasing tolerance to diseases and pests that cause extensive qualitative and quantitative damage to fruit production. For this experiment, 15 old apple varieties were chosen, all known and cultivated in the Banat area, which were grafted on the MM106 rootstock. Several parameters were analyzed that can be used for a relevant classification for planting them in limited spaces, such as in a private garden. Our research started 10 years ago and has already resulted in a doctoral thesis that extensively presents the data taken from the initial biological material and the first two years after grafting the trees; the research continued and is still ongoing in the experimental orchard. From the multitude of aspects studied, we have chosen to present some results related to the vigor of the scion/rootstock combination, the quality of the fruits, their content in acidity as well as the behavior with respect to diseases and pests—results that can be useful to those who want to grow old apple varieties in their own garden. Growth vigor was reduced in most varieties, but the highest influence of the rootstock on growth was observed in the ‘Bănățenesc’ variety, followed by ‘Jonathan de Munte’ and ‘Caslere’. Grafting and agrotechniques had a positive influence on the fruit mass in all cultivars, except ‘Crețesc’, with an experimental average of 163.35 g, namely 60.56 g higher on average than that of the original biological material. After grafting, the SSC was between 10.05 °Brix in the ‘Curcubătoase’ variety and 18.48 °Brix in ‘Parmen Auriu’, with an experimental average of 14.96 °Brix. The fruit acidity oscillated between 0.13 g/100 g in ‘Florănești’ and ‘Pătul’ varieties and 0.46 g/100 g in ‘Domnesc’, with an experimental average of 0.25 g/100 g.