Polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities of apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.) as affected by cultivar,location, and year of harvest

A total of 22 samples of apricots belonging to ten cultivars from two locations and picked in the years 1975–78 were assayed for polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and partly for peroxidase (POD) activities, heat resistance of these enzymes,o-dihydroxy phenol (ODP) content, and initial rate of enzymatic browning (BA). Of these characteristics, ODP content showed the greatest and BA the least variation. PPO activity relative to fresh weight was found to depend on the year of harvest rather than on the cultivar, while POD activity relative to fresh weight was cultivar dependent. The values of BA and ODP content were markedly influenced by both cultivar and year. For a given cultivar, PPO and POD activities relative to fresh weight as well as BA were higher in the samples picked in 1976 at one location than in those picked in the other years at the other location.The initial rate of browning of apricots was primarily dependent on the ODP content as shown by linear regression analysis with two independent variables. The relative influence of ODP content as compared with that of PPO activity related to fresh weight was the stronger the higher the value of the ratio of PPO-ODP, i.e. the smaller the values of the endogenous substrate available to the enzyme in the tissues. This suggests substrate depletion to be the limiting factor in the enzymatic browning of apricots.Heat inactivation of PPO was found to be a simple exponential process, while that of POD a biphasic one. PPO was less heat resistant than POD: total inactivation occurred after 10-min heat treatment at 75°C and 85°C, respectively.