Apricot fruits are a favorite for consumption; however, their kernels are a rich source of nutritionally interesting substances, too. Nevertheless, in processing of apricots, the kernels remain often unused. In this study, 32 cultivars of different origin were analyzed for their protein content and content of secondary metabolites (phenolics and flavonoids). The weight and taste of kernels were assessed and these data were summarized for an evaluation of the attractiveness of the studied apricot kernels. Results showed that the protein content of kernels ranged from 14.56% to 28.77% and did not depend on the origin or weight of kernel, or taste. In addition, total phenolic (63.5–1277.3 mg GAE/100 g DW) and total flavonoid (0–153.1 mg CE/100 g DW) contents and antioxidant capacity (483.4–2348.4 mg TE/100 g DW) were measured in kernels. In conclusion, the Czech hybrids LE-5959, LE-5500 and French cultivar Koolgat are prospective for kernel processing and consumption because of their high protein content and sweet taste. Hybrid LI-3-6, originating in China, showed high protein content as well but because of bitter taste could be useful rather in medicine.

The apricot is attractive for several reasons, with the most important being the harvest period and the significant amount of contained substances that positively affect human health. This report discusses the identification and quantification of phenolic substances in 15 selected apricots. The following 14 phenolic compounds were identified: 4aminobenzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, cinnamic acid, flavonols quercetin and quercitrin, isoquercetin (quercetin-3-β-D-glucoside), rutin, resveratrol, vanillin, phloridzin, phloretin, epicatechin, catechin, and transpiceid. Significant amounts of phytochemicals found in apricot fruits are chlorogenic acid [0.69–21.94 mg/100 g fresh weight (FW)], catechin (0.55–10.75 mg/100 g FW), epicatechin (0.04–13.52 mg/100 g FW), and rutin (1.49–20.44 mg/100 g FW). Rutin and chlorogenic acid were the dominant compounds found in the studied set of cultivars. Furthermore, other important analytical properties of fruits (total acids, vitamin C, total content of phenolic substances, flavonoids, antioxidant capacity, and carotenoids) were also determined.

This study included twenty-three samples of minor fruit species and twenty-three plum cultivars. First of all, the pomological properties of the plum cultivars were assessed, where the cultivar ‘Aphrodite’ was determined as the cultivar with the biggest fruits (56.6 g). The selected nutritional properties were subsequently determined in all forty-six samples. The highest value of the total soluble solids in the plums was 27.3 % in ‘Stanley’ (Prunus domestica) and 26.1 % in ‘Krasavica’ (Sorbus aucuparia) in the minor fruits; the highest total content of ascorbic acid in the plums was 83.3 mg/100 g in ‘Stanley’ (P. domestica) and 622.9 mg/100 g in ‘Krasavica’ (S. aucuparia) in the minor fruits; the highest total phenolic content in the plums was 429.8 mg GAE/100 g in ‘Fortune’ (Prunus salicina) and 45.3 mg  GAE/100 g in the minor fruits and 983.9 mg GAE/100 g in ‘Vydubecký’ (Cornus mas); the highest total flavonoid content in the plums was 291.5 mg CE/100 g in ‘Fortune’ (P. salicina) and 544.7 mg CE/100 g in ‘Nero’ (Sorbus melanocarpa) in the minor fruits, and the highest total antioxidant activity in the plums was 809.5 mg TE/100 g in the hybrid ‘SLE2014/2’ (P. domestica × P. salicina) and 849.8 mg TE/100 g in ‘Amfora’ (Lonicera edulis) in the minor fruits.

Fruits are a rich source of vitamins and antioxidants and their consumption is important for human health. Anthocyanins contribute to antioxidant characteristics in colourful fruits, especially with blue, purple and red tones of colour. The aim of this work was to study the correlation between anthocyanin content and the external colour of plums. European (Prunus domestica) and Asian (Prunus salicina) plum plum and the apricot (Prunus armeniaca) -pluotswere chosen for this investigation. Results showed that total anthocyanin content in fruits ranged between 0.2 and 217.0 mg kg -1 fresh weight (FW) among varieties. High anthocyanin values were measured in cultivars derived from the Japanese plums 'Black Amber' and 'Black Star', however, the highest values were surprisingly measured in the pluot 'Flavorich pluot ® '. Anthocyanin values for European plum cul--1 FW. The colour of the fruit was measured using the colour scale set by the Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIELAB) and from chromatic parameters L*, a*, b* the chroma parameter (C * ab ), hue angle (h°a b )and colour index of red grapes (CIRG) were calculated. Correlation of the colour parameters with the anthocyanin content in plum fruits was determined and it was found that CIRG is a suitable comparison parameter with exponential positive correlation to anthocyanin content. The present work highlights that colour parameters, especially CIRG, are a good tent with using founded regression function. This method could be used to obtain an overview about healthy substances of fruit without its destruction or using chemical analyses.

The nutritive quality of food and the aesthetic aspect contribute to the appearance of consumed food. In this study, apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) flowers were used to determine vitamin C, total phenolic content, flavonoids, antioxidant capacity, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and amygdalin. Vitamin C content fluctuated between 24.97 and 47.35 mg·100 g–1 fresh weight (FW). The results show that all apricot flowers are a good source of phenolic compounds [404.08–768.45 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g FW] and flavonoids [198.76–538.11 mg catechin equivalent (CE)/100 g FW], and have good antioxidant capacity [414.66–1026.18 mg Trolox equivalent (TE)/100 g FW]. A high value of anthocyanins was measured in ‘Vestar’ (28.41 mg·100 g–1 FW) and also in ‘Blenheim’ (13.40 mg·100 g–1 FW). On the contrary, a low value was found in ‘Scout’ (1.60 mg·100 g–1 FW). The highest value of carotenoids was measured in ‘Blenheim’ (6.41 mg·100 g–1 FW), and the lowest in ‘Chuang Zhi Hong’ (1.36 mg·100 g–1 FW). Amygdalin content fluctuated between 110.81 and 419.78 mg·100 g–1 FW. Newly acquired information about the composition and nutritional value of edible flowers give reasons for their consumption.