Morphological,Biochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Local Loquat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eriobotrya Japonica</Emphasis> (Thunb.) Lindl.) Germplasm from Turkey

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica L.) grown well for commercial purposes in subtropical regions nearly 30 countries and originated from China. The most important loquat producers in the world are China, Spain, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Italy and Brazil. In this study, ten pre-selected promising loquat genotypes sampled from eastern Black region and analyzed for their important morphological, biochemical and antioxidant characteristics. The standard cultivar ‘Sayda’ is also included in the study. The results indicated differences for all of the morphological, biochemical and antioxidant characteristics among tested genotypes. Fruit mass and fruit flesh percentage of the genotypes ranged from 35.40?g (LOQ-8) to 46.90?g (LOQ-5) and from 79.40 (%) to 86.32 (%) indicating some local genotypes had higher fruit mass and fruit flesh percentage than standard cultivar ‘Sayda’. Total phenolic content was the highest as 263?μg GAE/g in LOQ-7 genotype while the lowest in LOQ-8 genotype (185?μg GAE/g). LOQ-7 genotype had the highest total antioxidant capacity. Local genotypes in general have higher total phenolic, total carotenoid, vitamin C and antioxidant activity than cv. ‘Sayda’.     

Physico-Chemical Profiling of Promising Sweet Orange Cultivars Grown Under Different Agro-Climatic Conditions of Pakistan

Sweet oranges are produced on large scale all over the world and demanded due to less number of seeds and are better juice quality. A study was carried out with the objective to characterize promising sweet orange cultivars for better quality fruits production under different agro-climatic conditions of Punjab (Pakistan). Fruits of three promising sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) cultivars viz. ‘Blood Red’, ‘Musambi’ and were harvested from commercial citrus groves at five different locations. Starting from Multan, in the direction of increasing altitude, four more sites viz. Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Chakwal were selected after every 100–150?km distance. Fruits were evaluated in terms of different physical and biochemical characters. Results showed significant influence of climatic conditions on physico-chemical properties of the cultivars at all the locations. Fruits harvested from Multan and Sahiwal showed higher fruit weight, diameter and peel weight. More juicy fruits with higher vitamin C content were produced under mild temperature environmental conditions of Chakwal. Overall, ‘Musambi’ fruits had more total soluble solids and reducing and total sugars. ‘Musambi’ was found to be good source of bioactive compounds i.?e. vitamin C and total phenolic content, had the maximum antioxidant activity as compared to ‘Blood Red’ and ‘Succari’ and may be explored as potential cultivar in Sargodha and Chakwal.     

The role of Pre-harvest Aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) Treatments on Total Phenolics,Antioxidant Capacity and Fruit Quality Attributes of Sweet Cherry Cultivars

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of pre-harvest aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) treatments on fruit quality parameters and bioactive compounds of sweet cherry fruits (Prunus avium L. cvs. ’0900 Ziraat’, ‘Regina’ and ’Sweetheart’). Whole trees were sprayed once with an aqueous solution containing AVG (0, 100 and 200?mg L^?1) three weeks before the anticipated commercial harvest. Measurements were performed a week before anticipated harvest date, at anticipated harvest date and a week after anticipated harvest date. AVG treatments significantly maintained flesh firmness of all three sweet cherry cultivars. Harvest was delayed at least for a week through the keeping of flesh firmness with AVG treatments. The treatments slowed down the red skin color development in all three cultivars. The measurements performed over fruits collected at different ripening stages revealed that AVG resulted in decreased total phenolics and total anthocyanin and ultimately decreased antioxidant capacity in sweet cherry fruits. AVG treatments also decreased soluble solids content and increased titratable acidity of the fruits. This study revealed that pre-harvest AVG treatments were more effective in delaying sweet cherry fruit softening. The main advantage is to maintain the firmness of late-harvested fruit by retaining fruit quality attributes of sweet cherry fruit.     

Phenotypic and Bioactive Diversity on Medlar Fruits (Mespilus germanica L.)

Mespilus germanica, known as the medlar, is a large shrub or small tree. The fruit has been cultivated since Roman times, and is unusual in being available in winter, and in being eaten when bletted.  In this study twelve medlar (Mespilus germanica L.) genotypes were harvested at commercial maturity stage (skin brownish, pulp white, fruit hard) from Rize provinces located eastern black sea region and were analyzed for their some important fruit phenotypic (fruit mass, shape index, fruit firmness, ostiole diameter and fruit flesh ratio) and bioactive characteristics (total phenolic content, total antioxidant capacity, vitamin C and phenolic compounds). A wide variation among genotypes on most of the searched parameters was found. Fruit mass and flesh ratio varied from 12.3 g (KRD-1) to 23.6 g (KRD-8) and 83.6?% (KRD-2) to 93.0?% (KRD-4) indicating high variability among genotypes. The total phenolic contents of twelve medlar genotypes varied from 157 to 227 mg gallic acid equivalent in 100 g fresh weight basis. Chlorogenic acid, rutin and p-coumaric acid were dominant in medlar fruits.     

Antioxidant Compounds,Nutritional Quality and Colour of Two Strawberry Genotypes from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fragaria</Emphasis> × <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ananassa</Emphasis>

In this study, average weight, colour, soluble solids content and titratable acidity were determined as quality parameters of strawberry fruits while ascorbic acid, total anthocyanins, total phenolics, total flavonoids, minerals and trace elements content as nutritional parameters. All these attributes along with the DPPH radical scavenging activity were screened in two strawberry genotypes grown on the same site at the ripe stage. Also, the phenolic profiles of the strawberry fruits were obtained by HPLC. Except colour, results showed no significant differences between cultivars in quality parameters. Ascorbic acid found for ‘Premial’ cv. (81.62?mg/100?g) was twice the amount found in ‘Magic’ cv. (42.15?mg/100?g), total phenolics varied from 207.95 (cv. ‘Premial’) to 249.98 (cv. ‘Magic’) mg GAE/100?g while total flavonoid content in fruits of ‘Magic’ cultivar (79.56?mg/100?g) was 2?fold higher than the one of the ‘Premial’ cv. The quercetin content ranged from 2.72 to 4.66?mg/100?g, whereas free ellagic acid ranged from 6.79 to 9.03?mg/100?g. The pale shiny fruits of ‘Premial’ cv. (higher L*, h^o and chroma index) had a lower total anthocyanin content (19.07?mg CG/100?g) than the bluish fruits of the ‘Magic’ cv. (23.96?mg CG/100?g). An inverse relationship between the levels of ascorbic acid and anthocyanin contents was also noticed in strawberry samples. Significant differences were found also in minerals and trace elements content of the two strawberry cultivars. The results revealed the importance of genetic background for the content of antioxidant compounds in strawberry fruits.     

Some physico-chemical characteristics of black mulberry (Morus nigra L.) genotypes from Northeast Anatolia region of Turkey

In this study, some selected physico-chemical properties (antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid, fatty acids, fruit colour, fruit juice yield, fruit weight, organic acids, pH, total phenolic and total soluble solid contents) of five black mulberry (Morus nigra L.) genotypes grown in the Northeast Anatolia region of Turkey was investigated. The total phenolic and antioxidant activity of methanol extract of black mulberry fruits were determined according to Folin-Ciocalteu and β-carotene bleaching method assays, respectively. Fatty acids of mulberry fruits were determined by using gas chromatography. Total phenolic content was observed in black mulberry fruits between 1943 and 2237 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g fresh mass. The vitamin C content of genotypes varied between 14.9 and 18.7 mg/100 ml. The major fatty acids in all mulberry fruits were linoleic acid (53.57–64.41%) and palmitic acid (11.36–16.41%). Antioxidant activity of black mulberry genotypes was found between 63% and 76%, which lower than standard BHA and BHT. Regarding organic acid content, malic acid was the most predominant with a range of 123–218 mg/g followed by citric acid (21–41 mg/g). The results of the study are helpful for attempting crop improvement in black mulberry for bringing to cultivation.     

Influence of Melatonin Treatments on Fruit Quality and Storage Life of Sweet Cherry cv. ‘Sweetheart’

The study was carried out to determine the effect of melatonin on quality and postharvest life of sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) cv. ‘Sweetheart’ during storage. The fruits were dipped at different concentrations of melatonin (0, 250, 500 and 1000?µmol l^?1 for 10?min) and distilled water as control. The changes of sweet cherries were assessed at 7?day intervals by evaluating the following quality parameters: firmness, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, respiration rate, color values (L* and chroma), ascorbic acid content, total anthocyanin content, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity. The results showed that increasing the dose to 1000?µmol l^?1 melatonin had a remarkable effect on maintaining the quality of sweet cherry. 1000?µmol l^?1 and 500?µmol l^?1 melatonin treatments significantly inhibited the decrease in firmness, ascorbic acid, total phenols, total anthocyanin, antioxidant content and reduced color changes and respiration rate. However, the total soluble solids content and titratable acidity of the fruit were not influenced by melatonin applications. These findings indicate that melatonin treatment may be effective in maintaining quality and bioactive compounds of sweet cherry fruit.

     

Fruit Quality and Composition of Two Advanced North Carolina Strawberry Selections

ABSTRACT

The advanced selections, NCS 10-038 and NCS 10-156, from the North Carolina breeding program were compared to the traditionally used cultivars, Camarosa and Chandler, for storage life and fruit composition in 2014 and 2015. Postharvest quality of NCS 10-038 was similar to that of ‘Camarosa’ and ‘Chandler’ after 8 days storage at 4 °C. NCS 10-156 was significantly worse in overall appearance and had more fruit shrivel, calyx browning, and mold than the other genotypes. However, NCS 10-156 was highest in soluble solids content and was similar in total anthocyanin content and total phenolic content to ‘Camarosa’ and ‘Chandler’. Further analysis of flavonoids by high performance liquid chromatography showed that NCS 10-156 was much lower in total flavonols than the other genotypes and comparable in anthocyanin pigments to ‘Chandler’. NCS 10-038, while similar in pigment profile to ‘Camarosa’, had less total anthocyanin than the other genotypes. NCS 10-038 had a lighter red color than the other genotypes and was similar in postharvest quality to ‘Chandler’ and ‘Camarosa’ and may be suitable for long-distance markets. NCS 10-156 is slightly softer than the other genotypes and more prone to mold while the higher soluble solids content may make it suitable for direct market sales. Both selections show postharvest promise for strawberry production in the humid mid-South region.     

Variation in total phenolics and antioxidant capacity among European plum genotypes

Our objective was to determine the amount of variation in total phenolics and antioxidants present in European plum fruits, so that it can be utilized in breeding programs to enhance the health benefits. Total antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content of the fruit, and the fruit skin color were determined in 20 genotypes, comprising of released varieties and advanced selections of European plums. Among the 20 genotypes, the total antioxidant capacity ranged from 105 to 424 mg ascorbic acid equivalents (AAE)/100 g fresh weight (FW) while the total phenolic content was 86–413 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g FW. The two parameters had a strong correlation of r² = 0.96. A direct correlation between skin color intensity and total phenolic content could also be observed. This study demonstrates that there is adequate variation in total phenolic compounds and antioxidants within European plums and hence there is potential for improvement towards enhancing these health-promoting phytochemicals in this fruit.     

Antimicrobial,Antioxidant, and Antimutagenic Activities of Five Turkish Pear Cultivars

The pear (Pyrus spp.) is one of the most important fruits consumed in daily life. The aim of this study was to determine the total phenolic and ascorbic acid contents, as well as the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antimutagenic activities, of various pear cultivars. The fruits of five pear (Pyrus communis L.) cultivars (‘Deveci’, ‘Kizil’, ‘Egirsah’, ‘Gugum’, and ‘Banda’) were used in this study. It was determined that the peel and pulp of the ‘Kizil’ pear had the highest total phenolic content (402.5?mg/100?g and 215.2?mg/100?g, respectively), while those of the ‘Banda’ pear had the lowest total phenolic content (326?mg/100?g and 126.1?mg/100?g, respectively). Additionally, the ‘Kizil’ pear showed the highest antioxidant capacity in the 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and ferric-reducing ability assay (FRAP) (1.72 μmol TE/g FW and 161.25?μmol Fe II/g FW, respectively) and the highest ascorbic acid content (16.02?mg/100?g). The ‘Banda’ pear showed the highest antibacterial activity against the test bacteria. However, none of the pear extracts displayed antifungal activity. While all doses of the ‘Kizil’, ‘Gugum’, and ‘Banda’ pear extracts used in this study, except 80?μL/plate, exhibited antimutagenic activities, only the lowest dose (10?μL/plate) of the ‘Deveci’ pear extract showed the antimutagenic activity against induced mutagenesis in the Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 strain. Consequently, the five Turkish pear cultivars used in this study exhibited different levels of antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antimutagenic activities.     

Have the Flowers,Fruitlets, Ripe Fruit and Leaves of Apples Cultivars Similar Compositions of Phenolic and Antioxidant Capacity?

Total and specific phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity were quantified over two seasons in flowers, leaves, fruitlets, and ripe fruit at harvest of the apple cultivars ‘Brookfield’, ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Fuji’, as well the crabapple cultivars ‘Hillary’ and ‘Manchurian’. The results showed that leaves had the highest phenol concentrations and antioxidant capacity. Phenolic and antioxidant content was progressively lower from flowers, fruitlets, and ripe harvested fruit. There were high concentrations of phloridzin in flowers and leaves, while concentrations were lower in fruitlets, peel, and entire fruit at harvest. The phenolic compound with the highest concentration in peel was quercetin glycoside, while in the entire fruit it was flavanols. The studied crabapple cultivars did not present differences between them in phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity.

     

Phytochemical accumulation and antioxidant capacity at four maturity stages of cranberry fruit

Specific components of cranberry fruit are being associated with human health attributes, such as maintenance of urinary tract health and antioxidant status. Some of the chemical properties and antioxidant capacity of cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. cv. Pilgrim) fruits were investigated at light green, blush, light red and dark red maturation stages. Fruit total phenolics, total monomeric anthocyanins, soluble solids, titratable acidity and individual organic acids were examined. Antioxidant capacity of fruits were determined by both the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays. The fruit color was measured using a portable chromameter. A converse relationship was found between total phenolics and anthocyanin as fruits mature. Total phenolic concentration was declined from 7990 to 4745 mg GAE/kg fw, while total monomeric anthocyanin content was increased from 0.8 to 111.0 mg/kg fw from green to dark red stage. Brix was increased from 6 to 9.3% as well. The main organic acid was citric acid determined by the HPLC method. The antioxidant capacity of cranberries decreased to light red stage; when a fruit accumulates more anthocyanin the activity increased again in both FRAP and TEAC methods. Averaged antioxidant capacity measured was 12.61 and 17.48 mmol TE/kg fw by FRAP and TEAC methods.     

Influence of Bagging on Color,Anthocyanin and Anthocyanin Biosynthetic Genes in Peel of Red Colored Mango <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cv</Emphasis>. ‘Lily’

Sunlight influences many morphological, biochemical and molecular changes in fruits and the most important is color change associated with the development of pigments. The exposure to sunlight influences the anthocyanin content of the fruit peel. With the aim to understand the influence of bagging of fruits on the mango peel color, anthocyanin and expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes, an experiment was conducted by covering fruits of red colored cv. ‘Lily’ with muslin cloth. The observations were recorded for fruits of control (non-bagged) and fruits developing in shade. In bagged fruits, the color of peel changed towards lightness and yellowness. The reduction in anthocyanin was observed up to 17 times in bagged and shaded fruits. We also observed the down-regulation of all anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in fruits under bagged and shaded conditions. This study reports the influence of bagging and shade on anthocyanin biosynthetic genes and subsequent change in the color of fruit peel.     

不同蓝莓品种的生长特性及果实品质分析

以8个蓝莓品种为试材,对其生长特性、果实形态特征、风味品质及营养成分进行测定。结果表明:大部分品种为早熟至中熟,成熟期集中在6月上旬至7月中旬;‘薄雾’长势偏弱,其余品种长势中庸或旺盛,‘久比利’新枝生长量最大;V5平均单果重最大(为2.19 g),‘奥尼尔’‘乔治宝石’次之;V5、‘久比利’口味酸甜适中,‘乔治宝石’和‘奥尼尔’糖酸比适宜,具有独特的酸甜口感且香气浓郁;‘乔治宝石’的维生素C含量最高,‘久比利’、V5、‘奥尼尔’的总酚含量较高。初步认为,‘奥尼尔’、V5、‘乔治宝石’和‘久比利’为适宜鲜食的优良品种;V3和‘粉蓝’糖酸比高,花色素苷和总酚等抗氧化物质含量较高,适宜加工果汁、果酒等。     

Polyphenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity in Berries of Four Russian Cultivars of Lonicera kamtschatica (Sevast.) Pojark

Nowadays increasing attention has been focused on polyphenolic compounds as the main representants of antioxidants in horticultural crops including fruits. The edible honeysuckle has an unique position among lesser known fruits due to its high level of antioxidants. In the present study we determined polyphenolic profile and antioxidant capacity of four Russian cultivars of edible honeysuckle including ‘Gerda 25’, ‘Amfora’, ‘Morena’, ‘Lipnicka’, which found together in a single location in Mendel University in Brno, The Czech Republic. Polyphenolic compounds were detected by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical detector (HPLC-ED). The antioxidant capacity was measured by DPPH test. According to the results there were differences among cultivars in terms of polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity and Lonicera kamtschatica ‘Gerda 25’ were found to be possessed the highest content of phenolic compounds corresponding to the highest value of antioxidant activity.     

5 - 氨基乙酰丙酸和金雀异黄素促进苹果果皮花青素形成的效应

 无论是树上的苹果果实还是离体果皮, 5 - 氨基乙酰丙酸(ALA) 处理均能显著促进果皮花青素积累, 而金雀异黄素(GNT) 促进离体果皮花青素积累的效应比ALA还明显。光照、ALA和GNT处理均诱导果皮PAL活性短时上升, 表明花青素积累涉及到合成酶活性的诱导。     

红富士苹果果实着色与抗氧化酶活性的关系

 以红富士苹果(Malus×domestica Borkh ‘Fuji’ )为试材，通过测定不同时期果皮内色素含量 与抗氧化酶活性水平，对苹果着色和抗氧化的关系进行了研究。结果表明，花青苷的含量变化与果实抗氧化酶活性密切相关。果实着色前超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)活性较高，随着果实着色活性逐渐下降。套袋可抑制果实抗氧化酶活性，着色期去袋后，SOD、POD活性迅速升高；去袋2 d后，随着果皮内花青苷的积累，抗氧化酶活性逐渐下降。脂氧合酶(LOX)的活性也与花青苷含量的变化密切相关。LOX活性在果实着色前2—3周出现一次高峰，峰后随着花青苷的积累而逐渐降低。     

Study of Genetic Diversity of Pear Genotypes and Cultivars (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pyrus communis</Emphasis> L.) Using Inter<Emphasis Type="Italic">-</Emphasis>Simple Sequence Repeat Markers (ISSR)

ISSR molecular marker was used to investigate genetic diversity of ‘Dare Gazi’ genotypes of Mashhad Esteghlal orchard and its relationship with other commercial and native cultivars of pear. Among ‘Dare Gazi’ genotypes of Mashhad Esteghlal orchard 23 genotypes were selected base on difference in tree vigor, leaf color, shape and color of fruit and also 33 other commercial and native pear cultivars from Esteghlal orchard and other Mashhad commercial orchards were studied. A total number of 230 DNA fragments were obtained using 11 primers of which 225 were polymorphic. On average, each primer produced 20.9 bands. Dice similarity coefficient ranged from 0.27 (between ‘Dom Kaj’ and Asian pear) to 1 (between ‘Dare Gazi’ 1 and 2 genotypes). Sample cluster dendrogram indicated that 56 genotypes were divided into 12 distinct clusters. The dendogram generated on the principle of Unweight Pair Wise Method using Arithmetic Average (UPGMA) was constructed by Dice coefficient and the genotypes were grouped into 12 clusters. ‘Dare Gazi’ genotypes did not show 100% similarity due to seed propagation or mutation, as ‘Dare Gazi’ 3 and 18 genotypes had the lowest similarity coefficient (0.64). Asian pears were placed in a separate group from European pears. And ‘Dare Gazi’ genotypes from different orchards were grouped separately, but all of them are called as ‘Dare Gazi’ pear for convenience. ISSR molecular marker can well identify the genetic variability among genotypes and cultivars and found suitable for grouping them.     

A Field Survey of Promising Mulberry (M<Emphasis Type="Italic">orus spp</Emphasis>.) Genotypes from Turkey

In this study the mulberry population in the Mediterranean and Eastern Anatolia Turkey was examined with regard to fruit properties. The research material consisted of uncultivated mulberry (Morus spp.) trees. Thirty five mulberry genotypes for table, 6 genotypes for fruit juice, 11 genotypes for syrup (pekmez) and 9 genotypes for drying, were selected, 32 of which belonged to Morus alba, 12 to Morus rubra and 8 genotypes to Morus nigra. Continued and more detailed selection studies with this population of genotypes are necessary to provide material that is suitable for future breeding efforts. It may also be possible to select some of this native material that has sufficient commercial value to justify its release to growers.