Investigation of different apple cultivars by high resolution magic angle spinning NMR. A feasibility study

(1)H HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy was applied to apple tissue samples deriving from 3 different cultivars. The NMR data were statistically evaluated by analysis of variance (ANOVA), principal component analysis (PCA), and partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The intra-apple variability of the compounds was found to be significantly lower than the inter-apple variability within one cultivar. A clear separation of the three different apple cultivars could be obtained by multivariate analysis. Direct comparison of the NMR spectra obtained from apple tissue (with HR-MAS) and juice (with liquid-state HR NMR) showed distinct differences in some metabolites, which are probably due to changes induced by juice preparation. This preliminary study demonstrates the feasibility of (1)H HR-MAS NMR in combination with multivariate analysis as a tool for future chemometric studies applied to intact fruit tissues, e.g. for investigating compositional changes due to physiological disorders, specific growth or storage conditions.     

基于主成分与聚类分析的苹果加工品质评价

为了探讨苹果品种间理化品质的差异,给选育新品种和苹果合理加工利用提供理论支持,采集了30个苹果品种为试材进行模式识别分析。该试验所用苹果在2011年8-10月份按照苹果可采成熟度(九成熟)在辽宁省兴城市国家种质资源圃进行采集。试验测定了单果质量、体积、密度、果皮颜色、硬度、糖酸比、维生素C等20项理化品质指标,采用描述性统计、主成分和聚类分析方法对苹果品种和品质关系进行了分析。结果显示,30个品种苹果的密度、果型指数和含水率3项指标未表现出差异。对剩余17项品质指标进行了主成分分析,依据主成分解释总变量和碎石图提取了6个主成分反映原变量的82.3%的信息。第一主成分主要综合了可滴定酸、糖酸比及固酸比的信息即口尝品质因子;第二主成分主要综合了L值,a值和b值的信息,命名为颜色因子;其余主成分依次为甜度因子、质构因子、内在品质因子和果个大小因子。结合主成分得分图直观地显示了苹果品种和理化指标间关系:辽伏、理想、早金冠和瑞光分布在PC1和PC2的正向区间,糖酸比和固酸比值较大、口感好,但是果皮颜色较绿,是品质较好的早熟苹果;寒富、赤阳和红富士依次落在PC1和PC2第四区间,食用品质好、果皮颜色较红,是较为常见的晚熟苹果。分布在第二区间的普利阿姆,白星,Pvma果皮颜色绿且口感酸涩,不适宜鲜食,这些品种可能较为适宜进行加工。第三区间品种固酸比、甜酸比取值较小但是果皮颜色红,为选育果皮颜色受消费者喜爱且内在品质好的早熟品种提供了理论支持。聚类分析将30个品种苹果分为5类,聚类结果与主成分得分图结果基本一致,该试验初步判定30个品种苹果是否适宜鲜食,为苹果品种选育和加工应用利用提供理论依据。     

Maturity and storage influence on the apple (Malus domestica) allergen Mal d 3, a nonspecific lipid transfer protein

Consumption of apples can provoke severe allergic reactions, in susceptible individuals, due to the presence of the allergen Mal d 3, a nonspecific lipid transfer protein, found largely in the fruit skin. Levels of Mal d 3 were determined in peel as a function of apple cultivar, position of the fruit growing on the tree, apple maturity, and postharvest storage by ELISA. As the apples mature, Mal d 3 levels increased, although the rate was dependent on cultivar and tree position. During storage, levels of Mal d 3 decreased in all cultivars (cvs. Cox, Jonagored, and Gala), the rate of overall decrease being greatest under controlled atmosphere conditions. There was no correlation between Mal d 3 levels and total apple peel protein, indicating specific alterations in Mal d 3 expression. Thus pre- and postharvest treatments (i.e., storage) can modify the allergen load in apple peel, the highest levels being found in overly mature and freshly harvested fruits.     

Polyphenolic profiles of Basque cider apple cultivars and their technological properties

The polyphenolic compositions of 31 Basque cider apple cultivars were determined in pulp, peel, and juice by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection analysis of crude extracts and after thiolysis. Total polyphenols are distributed in a wide concentration range depending on the cultivar. Procyanidins are the class of polyphenols that present major concentrations in apple. Their average degrees of polymerization range from 4 to 8 depending on the cultivar. Apple cultivars were technologically classified into bitter and nonbitter categories using different classification systems obtained by applying several pattern recognition techniques, such as principal component analysis, K-nearest neighbors, soft independent modeling of class analogy, partial least-squares, and multilayer feed-forward-artificial neural networks, to apple pulp, peel, or juice data (individual polyphenol concentrations, total procyanidin content, and the average degree of polymerization of procyanidins). Bitter apple cultivars present higher contents of flavan-3-ols and/or dihydrochalcones than nonbitter cultivars. Detailed knowledge of the polyphenolic profile of each apple cultivar affords information about their susceptibility to oxidation, their sensory properties (bitterness, astringency), and their possible influence on the characteristics and quality of the final product (juice, cider) when apples are processed.     

Characterization of odor-active volatiles in apples: influence of cultivars and maturity stage

The aroma and texture of three different apple cultivars, harvested at three maturity stages, were analyzed by sensory and instrumental analysis. The emphasis was on the identification of the most potent odorant volatiles, and the challenge was to separate the few most important flavor compounds, which may be trace chemicals, from the vast number of nonodorant compounds present in apple aroma extracts. Thirty-six odorant compounds were detected, 24 of which were common to all extracts. A significant correlation coefficient was found between the aroma intensity scores and overall quantity of the odorant volatiles, which shows that the development of sensory aroma is similar to that of odorant volatiles. This study also showed that the parameters measured by penetrometry and compression were highly correlated with sensory textural attributes. The determination of the optimal maturity stage for different apple cultivars by the usual parameters, such as color, diameter, total soluble solids, and titrable acidity, may not be sufficient to determine the optimal sensory quality for consumers. Moreover, the sensory quality of fruits changes during maturation in a different way from one cultivar to another, and this should be taken into account.     

Whole fruit mineral element content and respiration rates of harvested ‘delicious’ apples

Whole fruit mineral element analysis is used commercially in Great Britain to predict postharvest apple fruit quality and storage life. Similar commercial programs are under development in Washington State; however, mineral element concentration guidelines are not available for important Washington‐grown cultivars. The current study used fruit respiration rate as a criterion for evaluating optimal whole fruit mineral element concentration. ‘Wellspur Delicious’ apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh.) were treated with four biweekly sprays of D, 4.1 and 13.5 kg CaCl₂/ha. Fruit of uniform diameter (7.65 to 8.05 cm) were harvested. Four intact single‐fruit samples per treatment were placed into individual respiration chambers maintained at 20°C. Humidified CO₂‐free air was continuously pumped into the chambers. Evolved C0₂ was trapped in NaOH and analyzed by titration. Evolution of C0₂ was measured for 38 days after which the fruits were analyzed for whole fruit Ca, N, Mg, P and K concentrations. The C0₂ evolution data was analyzed by linear regression to generate average respiration rates. The preharvest CaCl₂ spray treatments did not influence whole fruit Ca concentrations or respiration rates. The respiration rates were not influenced by mineral element concentration or selected ratios of concentrations. The Ca concentrations in the fruit (> 300 mg/kg dry mass) appear to have been sufficiently high to produce uniform low respiration rates and to mask possible influences of the other elements. The results suggest that whole fruit mineral element analysis may not be a sensitive indicator of average respiration rates of ‘Delicious’ apples during ripening.     

Quince (Cydonia oblonga miller) fruit characterization using principal component analysis

This paper presents a large amount of data on the composition of quince fruit with regard to phenolic compounds, organic acids, and free amino acids. Subsequently, principal component analysis (PCA) is carried out to characterize this fruit. The main purposes of this study were (i) the clarification of the interactions among three factors-quince fruit part, geographical origin of the fruits, and harvesting year-and the phenolic, organic acid, and free amino acid profiles; (ii) the classification of the possible differences; and (iii) the possible correlation among the contents of phenolics, organic acids, and free amino acids in quince fruit. With these aims, quince pulp and peel from nine geographical origins of Portugal, harvested in three consecutive years, for a total of 48 samples, were studied. PCA was performed to assess the relationship among the different components of quince fruit phenolics, organic acids, and free amino acids. Phenolics determination was the most interesting. The difference between pulp and peel phenolic profiles was more apparent during PCA. Two PCs accounted for 81.29% of the total variability, PC1 (74.14%) and PC2 (7.15%). PC1 described the difference between the contents of caffeoylquinic acids (3-O-, 4-O-, and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acids and 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid) and flavonoids (quercetin 3-galactoside, rutin, kaempferol glycoside, kaempferol 3-glucoside, kaempferol 3-rutinoside, quercetin glycosides acylated with p-coumaric acid, and kaempferol glycosides acylated with p-coumaric acid). PC2 related the content of 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid with the contents of 5-O-caffeoylquinic and 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acids. PCA of phenolic compounds enables a clear distinction between the two parts of the fruit. The data presented herein may serve as a database for the detection of adulteration in quince derivatives.     

Metabolite profiling of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) leaves by altering the ratio of in the culture solution

To observe the effect of different forms of N, we have applied metabolic profiling using gas chromatography mass spectrometry to evaluate the metabolite composition of spinach. The aim of the present study was to find an appropriate indicator of overall metabolic response to N source. The effect of the     ratio on spinach tissue was investigated, comparing two cultivars that differed in their ability to use N. There was wide variation in     absorption without any distinct growth inhibition in either cultivar. Statistical analysis revealed that the metabolites could be broadly divided into two types, correlating either positively or negatively with     uptake in the culture solution. Principal component analysis (PCA) was an effective tool that extracted the indexes of the effect of the ratio of N forms as PCA scores. Close relationships between metabolite profiles and     uptake were observed, indicating that metabolic profiling is able to distinguish the invisible metabolic change in mature leaves of spinach and may provide a new tool for the investigation of quality features or rhizosphere nutritional condition.     

不同采收期对苹果常温贮藏品质和衰老的影响

以通辽地区的‘塞外红’苹果为试材,研究了生长发育期在116~134 d内的3个采收期果实常温(20±1)℃贮藏品质和软化衰老的变化,以确定‘塞外红’苹果的最佳采收成熟度和适宜采收期。结果表明,随着采收期的推迟,果实硬度逐渐降低,可溶性固形物和可滴定酸含量逐渐升高,种子颜色逐渐变褐到全褐。随着贮藏时间的延长,3个采收期果实的硬度、维生素C和可滴定酸含量均逐渐下降,从采收到贮藏结束,采期Ⅰ果实的硬度一直保持最高,采期Ⅱ保持了果实较高的维生素C和可滴定酸含量,采期Ⅲ果实的可溶性固形物含量SSC一直保持最高。结果还表明,采期Ⅰ的果实常温贮藏期间虽然具有较高的原果胶和纤维素含量,而且抑制了可溶性果胶的生成,推迟了果实多聚半乳糖醛酸酶PG活性和纤维素酶活性高峰,延缓了果实呼吸高峰和乙烯释放高峰的出现时间,但果实的外观色泽、口感和风味相对较差;采期Ⅲ的果实丙二醛和乙醇含量积累较多,果实衰老快。综合分析,采期Ⅱ的‘塞外红’苹果具有良好的内在品质、外观色泽和贮运性能。因此,建议通辽地区‘塞外红’苹果的采收期以9月5—10日为宜(可适当晚采1~2 d),采收成熟度参考标准为:果实生长发育天数123~128 d、果肉硬度11.0~11.5 kg/cm^2、SSC≥16.5%、种子的颜色3/4左右变褐、淀粉染色为4.5级左右。     

Midsummer copper sprays have no effect on ‘delicious’ apple fruit color grade or typiness

Recent reports suggested that multiple midsummer copper (Cu) sprays could improve the proportion of apple fruit (Malus × domestica Borkh.) being packed in the reddest market color grades. We conducted a three‐year field experiment in a low‐Cu orchard with a history of poor fruit coloring. We applied multiple mid‐summer sprays of Cu sulfate and basic Cu sulfate in 1994 and 1995 to ‘Bisbee Delicious’ and ‘Oregon Spur II Delicious’ apple trees. Plant tissue nutrient levels, fruit color grade, and fruit typiness were evaluated in the years of application and the following year. The Cu sprays increased leaf Cu in the years of application; however, leaf Cu in the Cu‐sprayed plots returned to or very near to background concentrations in the year after sprays were terminated. The Cu treatments did not increase the proportion of fruit in the reddest market color grades or influence five fruit typiness indices of either apple cultivar. Although midsummer Cu sprays may not enhance apple fruit red color or typiness, they may be useful for increasing overall tree Cu status, particularly for long‐season cultivars which are harvested too late for postharvest sprays to be effective.     

Phenotypic diversity within native Iranian almond (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus</Emphasis> spp.) species and their breeding potential

A total of 137 accessions from 18 wild almond species were collected from Iran and leaf and fruit traits were characterized. Also evaluated were flowering and ripening date, self-incompatibility and kernel bitterness. An extensive phenotypic diversity was found both among and within species. Differences in average leaf dimensions among and within species were associated with average rainfall but not altitude of collection site. Adjacent accessions located in drier areas had smaller leaf dimensions than those located in semi-humid or humid regions. No relation was found between average fruit dimensions and collection site conditions. Principal component analysis revealed that the nut weight and width, and the kernel weight had highest loading in the first component accounting for 45.8% of total variation. In contrast, leaf traits in the second component accounted for 22.3% of total variation. No significant correlations were detected between leaf dimensions and fruit traits in all species evaluated. Results document a rich source of new germplasm for almond improvement programs. Small fruit size, pollen-pistil self-incompatibility, and bitter kernel flavour are the most common obstacles to the utilization of this wild germplasm in breeding.     

支持向量机在电子鼻区分不同品种苹果中的应用

为了提高电子鼻检测苹果气味的精度和鲁棒性,利用6点平滑法对气体传感器的数据进行去噪处理,并用支持向量机建立识别模型。应用结果表明,经过去噪处理后,曲线变得光滑,但仍能保持原来的形状,这说明去噪处理既滤除了传感器数据中的噪声同时又保留了传感器的主要信息。提取每个传感器的最大值作为特征参数。分别运用主成分分析和两个支持向量机模型区分富士、花牛、姬娜3种不同品种苹果的气味,主成分分析结果表明3种苹果分布区域存在重叠;两个支持向量机模型可以很好的区分这3种苹果,其中对姬娜和富士的识别正确率达到90％以上,而对花牛苹果的识别正确率达到100％。     

苹果果实中毒死蜱残留的品种间差异及套袋对毒死蜱残留的影响

为探讨苹果果实中毒死蜱残留的品种间差异及套袋对其残留的影响作用,采用气相色谱法（GC-FPD）,研究了不同品种苹果果实中毒死蜱的残留动态以及套袋对苹果果实不同部位中毒死蜱残留的影响。结果表明,毒死蜱在苹果果实中的残留量存在着明显的品种差异,其中红富士属于高农药残留的品种,而嘎拉、红将军和83-1-70-3则属于低农药残留的品种。毒死蜱在苹果果实不同部位中的残留量表现出明显差异,果皮是毒死蜱残留的主要部位,其次是全果,果肉中的残留最少。套袋明显减少了毒死蜱在苹果果实中的残留量,不论处理浓度和取样时间如何,套袋苹果果实中毒死蜱的残留量比不套袋至少减少1/3。     

Metabolomic approach for age discrimination of Panax ginseng using UPLC-Q-Tof MS

An ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Tof MS)-based metabolomic technique was applied for metabolite profiling of 60 Panax ginseng samples aged from 1 to 6 years. Multivariate statistical methods such as principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis were used to compare the derived patterns among the samples. The data set was subsequently applied to various metabolite selection methods for sophisticated classification with the optimal number of metabolites. The results showed variations in accuracy among the classification methods for the samples of different ages, especially for those aged 4, 5, and 6 years. This proposed analytical method coupled with multivariate analysis is fast, accurate, and reliable for discriminating the cultivation ages of P. ginseng samples and is a potential tool to standardize quality control in the P. ginseng industry.     

Organic vs conventionally grown Rio Red whole grapefruit and juice: comparison of production inputs, market quality, consumer acceptance, and human health-bioactive compounds

Most claims that organic produce is better tasting and more nutritious than nonorganic (conventional) produce are largely unsubstantiated. This is due mainly to a lack of rigor in research studies matching common production variables of both production systems, such as microclimate, soil type, fertilizer elemental concentration, previous crop, irrigation source and application, plant age, and cultivar. The aforementioned production variables common to both production systems were matched for comparison of Texas commercially grown conventional and certified organic Rio Red red-fruited grapefruit. Whole grapefruits from each production system were harvested between 800 and 1000 h at commercial early (November), mid- (January), and late season (March) harvest periods for three consecutive years. Within each harvest season, conventional and organic whole fruits were compared for marketable qualities (fruit weight, specific gravity, peel thickness, and peel color), and juices were compared for marketable qualities (specific gravity, % juice, and color), human health-bioactive compounds (minerals, ascorbic acid, lycopene, sugars, pectin, phenols, and nitrates), and consumer taste intensity and overall acceptance. Conventional fruit was better colored and higher in lycopene, and the juice was less tart, lower in the bitter principle naringin, and better accepted by the consumer panel than the organic fruit. Organic fruit had a commercially preferred thinner peel, and the juice was higher in ascorbic acid and sugars and lower in nitrate and the drug interactive furanocoumarins.     

Apple peel as a contributor to whole fruit quantity of potentially healthful bioactive compounds. Cultivar and year implication

On the basis of the fresh weight of apple fruit and its peel and the concentration of bioactive compounds, the total quantity of L-cysteine, glutathione, ascorbate, flavonols, and anthocyanins as well as phenolics was evaluated in a wide range of cultivars and two growing seasons. Apple peel as a contributor to the entire apple quantity of the examined components considerably differed in relation to the investigated compounds and was also highly cultivar dependent. A great amount of flavonols was found in apple peel (approximately 40%), followed by ascorbate (approximately 30%) and total phenolics (approximately 20%), while the lowest contribution was assessed for thiols (approximately 11% and 14% for L-cysteine and total quantity of glutathione, respectively), based on average values for both years. Seasonal variations in the quantity of antioxidants was more pronounced in apple peel, whereas the contribution of apple peel to the whole fruit was predominantly affected by the genotype. A very high positive correlation existed between apple peel and the whole fruit quantity of antioxidants.     

Physical characters and antioxidant, sugar, and mineral nutrient contents in fruit from 29 apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cultivars and hybrids

Fruit physical and chemical characters of 29 apricot cultivars of Greek and American origin and their hybrids were evaluated using correlation and principal component analysis. A remarkable variation was observed in the total phenol content (0.3-7.4 mg gallic acid equivalent g(-1) FW) and total antioxidant capacity (0.026-1.858 mg ascorbic acid equivalent g(-1) FW), with the American origin cultivars Robada and NJA(2) and the new cultivar Nike exhibiting the greatest values. The cultivar Tomcot and hybrid 467/99 had the highest content of total carotene (37.8 microg beta-carotene equivalent g(-1) FW), which was up to four times greater as compared with the rest of studied genotypes. The dominant sugar in fruit tissue was sucrose, followed second by glucose and third by sorbitol and fructose-inositol. The new cultivars Nike, Niobe, and Neraida contained relatively higher contents of sucrose and total sugars, while Ninfa and P. Tirynthos contained relatively higher contents of K, Ca, and Mg. Correlation analysis suggested that late-harvesting cultivars/hybrids had greater fruit developmental times (r = 0.817) and contained higher sugar (r = 0.704) and less Mg contents (r= -0.742) in fruit tissue. The total antioxidant capacity was better correlated with the total phenol content (r = 0.954) as compared with the total carotenoid content (r = 0.482). Weak correlations were found between the fruit skin color and the antioxidant contents in flesh tissue. Multivariate analysis allowed the grouping of variables, with more important variables being the harvest date, fruit developmental time, skin Chroma, sorbitol, and total sugar, K and Mg contents. Plotting the genotypes in a dendrogram revealed cases of homonymy between parents and hybrids, although independent segregation of the measured traits after hybridization was also found.     

Changes in fruit antioxidant activity among blueberry cultivars during cold-temperature storage

Antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, anthocyanin content, and six other fruit characters including titratable acid concentration, soluble solids, firmness, and percentage of bruised berries were determined for nine blueberry (Vaccinium L. sp.) cultivars at harvest and at various postharvest intervals after storage at 5 degrees C. Berries from MSU-58, Brigitta, and Legacy stored successfully for 7 weeks, Bluegold stored for 3-5 weeks, Bluecrop, Elliott, and Nelson stored for 3 weeks, and Jersey and Little Giant stored for fewer than 3 weeks. During the time they retained marketable quality, one cultivar (MSU-58) demonstrated a 29% increase in antioxidant activity. None of the cultivars showed a significant decrease from the harvest antioxidant activity value during storage. Antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and anthocyanin content were strongly correlated with each other (r = 0.87-0.99, P < 0.01). All three parameters were moderately correlated with soluble solids (r = 0.47, P < or =0.05; r = 0.44, P < or = 0.05; and r = 0.64, P < or = 0.01, respectively), and antioxidant activity and total phenolic content were both moderately correlated with pH (r = 0.53 and 0.49, respectively; P < or = 0.05). However, antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and anthocyanin content showed no correlation with firmness, percent severely bruised berries, or weight loss. Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content at harvest both correlated with titratable acidity at harvest (r = 0.68, P < or = 0.05 and r = 0.70, P < or = 0.05, respectively) on a cultivar mean basis. Berries from Elliott were also harvested from plants at two levels of bush ripeness (30-50% and 60-80% ripe berries on plants) and separated into three fruit maturity classes on the basis of percent blue color. The level of bush ripeness had no significant effect on antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, or anthocyanin content; however, fruit maturity had a significant effect on antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and anthocyanin content, and bush ripeness x fruit maturity interactions were significant for these three traits. Berries with 50-75% blue coloration harvested from bushes with 60-80% mature fruit showed a significant increase in antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and anthocyanin content during the first 3 weeks in storage. Our results demonstrate that increases in antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and anthocyanin content may occur in the blueberry during cold storage and are cultivar-dependent. The increases that occur in immature fruit, such as in Elliott, may be advantageous for producers who wish to delay marketing of the fruit.