Fruit Quality and Contents of Some Bioactive Compounds in Selected Czech Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) Cultivars under Conditions of Central Poland

Abstract

Dynamic changes have taken place in the production of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) in Poland over the last 20 years. New cultivars with both early- and late-ripening dates have appeared, and modern high-intensity cultivation techniques are being implemented. The main attribute of the fruit, in addition to its unique taste, is its health-promoting properties. In this research, which was conducted at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in 2021, our main objectives were to evaluate seven selected Czech cherry cultivars (‘Jacinta’; ‘Horka’; ‘Tamara’; ‘Helga’; ‘Fabiola’; ‘Kasandra’; ‘Kordia’) with regard to their dessert quality and contents of biologically active compounds, and to indicate the most valuable cultivar under the conditions of central Poland. The cultivars tested differed in both the fruit quality and health-promoting properties. ‘Jacinta’, ‘Horka’, Tamara’ and ‘Fabiola’ had the largest fruits. The ‘Fabiola’ and ‘Kordia’ fruits had the highest firmness, while the ‘Jacinta’ and ‘Horka’ fruits had the highest soluble solid contents (SSCs) and titratable acidities (TAs). We found the highest SSC-to-TA ratio in the ‘Fabiola’ cultivar. ‘Jacinta’ proved to be the most valuable cultivar in terms of bioactive compounds, and it had the highest antioxidant activity (DPPH). Some of the traits were closely correlated with each other, mainly in relation to the biologically active compounds. Darker fruits contained more bioactive compounds and had a higher antioxidant activity. It was also proved that size of fruits as well as SSC and TA are also correlated with fruit color. Intensively colored fruit are larger and have higher SSC and TA. In sweet cherry fruit, the contents of polyphenols and flavonoids, as well as the high DPPH, are strongly determined by the high content of cyanidin-3-galactoside.

Agronomic, Physicochemical, Aromatic and Sensory Characterization of Four Sweet Cherry Accessions of the Campania Region

“…The genotypes Limoncella and Lapins showed similar activity with values of 6.15 ± 0.04 and 6.29 ± 0.03 µmol TE g −1 FW, respectively, followed by Mulegnana Riccia with 6.62 ± 0.07 µmol TE g −1 FW ( Figure 4 e). Szpadzik et al [ 11 ] reported that the antioxidant activity varied between above 1 µmol TE 100 g −1 FW in Jacinta and below 0.5 µmol TE 100 g −1 FW in Helga and Kasandra cultivars.…”

“…Thanks to these properties, sweet cherries are considered a functional food as they reduce the levels of fat, particularly saturated fat, the risk of cancer, pain from arthritis and inflammation and offer protection against neurodegenerative diseases [ 9 ]. The quality of cherry fruits is directly correlated with genetic variability, training systems, agronomic and post-harvest management [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Health-Promoting Properties of Anthocyanins from Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas L.) Fruits

“…Due to their common occurrence in plants, anthocyanins are present in the human diet. Quantitative and qualitative differences in the anthocyanin composition of fruit imply that these characteristics depend on plant species [ 12 ], cultivar [ 13 ], growth conditions [ 14 ], ripeness, storage [ 15 ], and processing methods [ 16 ]. The main sources of anthocyanins in a temperate climate zone are grapes, chokeberry, blackcurrant, and elderberry.…”

Effect of cherry products addition on beer fermentation

“…Sweet cherries contain simple sugars and analogues (glucose, fructose and sorbitol), organic acids (malic and succinic acids), dietary fibers, carotenoids, melatonin, quercetin and other valuable elements. Furthermore, they have vitamins C, B, A, E and K. Cherries also include minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium) [8].…”