Abstract
The cultivar Annurca is an apple that is cultivated in southern Italy that undergoes a typical redding treatment and it is appreciated for organoleptic characteristics, high pulp firmness, and nutritional profile. In this study, the effects of three different biostimulants (Micro-algae (MA), Protein hydrolysate (PEP), and Macro-algae mixed with zinc and potassium (LG)), with foliar application, on the quality parameters of Annurca apple fruits at the harvest, after redding, and at +60 and +120 days of cold storage were analyzed: total soluble solids (TSS) content, total acidity (TA), pH, firmness flesh, and red coloration of epicarp. Additionally, the polyphenolic quali-quantitative profile of pulp and peel was analyzed by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS and Folin-Ciocalteu and the antioxidant capacity with the methods 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric-reducing antioxidant capacity (FRAP). The results obtained suggest that biostimulants are involved in the regulation of the secondary metabolism of the treated plants, acting positively on the quality of the Annurca fruits and their nutritional value. Fruits treated with PEP have shown, during cold storage, a significantly higher content of total polyphenols in flesh and a higher concentration of phloretin xylo-glucoside and phloridzin (350.53 and 43.58 mg/kg dw respectively). MA treatment caused, at the same time, an enhancement of flavonols between 0.6–28% and showed the highest total polyphenol content in the peel after 60 and 120 days of cold storage, with 2696.048 and 2570.457 mg/kg dw, respectively. The long-term cold storage (120 days) satisfactorily maintained phenolic content of fruits deriving from MA and PEP application, in accordance with data that were obtained for peel, showed an increase of 7.8 and 5.8%, respectively, when compared to the fruits cold stored for 60 days. This study represents the first detailed research on the use of different types of biostimulants on the quality of the Annurca apple from harvest to storage.
Highlights
IntroductionAnnurca, is one of the most important cultivars in Souther Italy, especially in Campania region, which accounts for 5% of Italian apple production
The long-term cold storage (120 days) satisfactorily maintained phenolic content of fruits deriving from MA and PEP application, in accordance with data that were obtained for peel, showed an increase of 7.8 and 5.8%, respectively, when compared to the fruits cold stored for 60 days
Apple representsa an important source ofin positive substances human and to theuse beneficial system determines significant reduction production yield,for making it health necessary natural activity of these is duepromote to the antioxidant capacity belong to substances that,compounds in some way, productivity and, ofatthese the compounds same time, that determine an the class of polyphenols
Summary
Annurca, is one of the most important cultivars in Souther Italy, especially in Campania region, which accounts for 5% of Italian apple production. This cultivar is the only one to have received from the European Council the “Protected Geographical Indication”, an official designation related to the preservation of local and characteristics agriculture commodities [1]. This fruit is famous for crispness, special taste, and long shelf life [2,3]. Annurca has displayed anti-radical, hypolipidemic, and hypoglycemic activity [9,10,11], and it has been shown to reduce cell viability in colon cancer and HL-60 cell lines by activating apoptosis [8,12]
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