Biochemical and Nutraceutical Characterization of Different Accessions of the Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)

Abstract

The name “Vesuvian apricot” refers to numerous varieties originating from the same production area at the foot of Vesuvius and with a long tradition of cultivation. The importance of the apricot fruit and its derivatives on human health is known thanks to the presence of several secondary metabolites, many of them being active as antioxidants. This study aims to analyze 12 vesuvian apricot accessions by means of chemical-physical (fruits weights, firmness, TSS, TA, pH, and color fruits) and nutraceutical analyses (acid organic and sugar content, antioxidant activities, and polyphenol content). All the accessions analyzed can be defined as superior-quality apricots because they had TSS values ≥ 13 and a pulp strength ≤ 1 kg/0.5 cm2. Another parameter used to express the quality of apricot fruits was TSS-F (soluble solids content-pulp hardness) which showed a value ≥ 12. The total sugar content ranged from 260.40 mg/g d.w in ‘VM’ to 744.59 mg/g d.w in ‘SC’. In all accessions analyzed the sugar content was in the following order: sucrose > glucose > fructose. The antioxidant activity showed a high variability between the different accessions. Our results show that the Vesuvian apricot accessions present a large range with different organoleptic characteristics and offer the possibility to choose according to consumer and processing preferences.

Biochemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Dried Fruit Produced from Apricot Cultivars Grown in Latvia

“…'Boriss' apricot fruit having the lowest (Figure 4A). The observed values are inconsistent with those reported by Cirillo et al [31] for 12 Vesuvian apricot accessions. The decrease in the content of hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants resulted in weak AOA of the elaborated DCF products.…”

“…In this instance, differences in TSS are primarily due to the genetic background of apricot cultivars and, to a lesser extent, the maturity stage. The content of TSS in selected apricot cultivars is substantially lower than that reported by Cirillo et al [31] for apricot cultivars grown under Southern conditions and consistent with those of Rampáčková et al [32] reported for apricot cultivars originating from Central Europe, Central Asia, and the USA. Analyzing the TSS of developed DCF products, a statistically higher (p < 0.05) amount was found in cv.…”

“…The dominance of RT in four apricot cultivars and one wild genotype grown in the I gdır region in Turkey was reported by Karaçelik [79], indicating the range from 24.7 to 696.5 µg g −1 DW. This observation is reinforced by data provided by Cirillo et al [31], emphasizing the relative abundance of RT over other phenolic compounds in 12 apricot genotypes of Italian origin. Apricot dehydration through osmosis followed by convective drying resulted in a substantial reduction in the RT in apricot products by an average of 63.8% for all cultivars.…”

Sequencing and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Chloroplast Genome of Three Apricot Species

“…sibirica, and kernel consumption apricots which are widely distributed in northern China [5]. The fruits of P. armeniaca are fresh with unique aroma, delicious taste, but also contains a variety of organic components, vitamins and inorganic salts, high nutritional value, wide range of uses, and can be processed into dried apricots, cultivated around the world, accounting for a high proportion of global fruit production [6,7]. P. sibirica has high ecological value as a pioneer tree species for vegetation restoration because it is cold, drought, and poor-soil tolerant.…”