EIGHT OLD CULTIVARS OF APPLE TREES – AN EVALUATION OF THEIR POTENTIAL FOR USE BY THE PROCESSING INDUSTRY

Abstract

Background. Fruit of old cultivars may contain more micro- and macronutrients and polyphenols than modern tree cultivars. This paper presents the results of a study on eight old cultivars of apple trees. The fruit was gathered in the Wolin National Park (Woliński Park Narodowy) from old uncultivated trees. Results and conclusions. Despite the lack of tree care, the fruit of all the cultivars studied contained small amounts of harmful heavy metals and nitrates. Different criteria are used to evaluate fruit by consumers and the processing industry. For consumers, taste is important, and a low sugar-to-acid ratio makes fruit much tastier. The Roter Herbstkalvill cultivar, despite containing the least sugar of all the cultivars tested, has the lowest sugar-to-acid ratio (3.3). The highest content of health-promoting polyphenolic compounds was found in the fruit of the following cultivars: Roter Herbstkalvill (734 mg/100 g DM) and Kaiser Alexander (701 mg/100 g DM). Due to their high dry matter content, the Geflammter Kardinal and Boikenapfel cultivars will be the best choice for the processing industry. Whereas cultivars with a low sugar content, which caramelizes at high temperatures - Roter Herbstkalvill and Weisser Winterkalvill - will be useful for flour production and baking.