Fruit Characteristics of Different Varieties of Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas L.) Cultivated in the Czech Republic

Abstract

The use of the fruit of the Cornus mas L. in the food industry has a long tradition in the Czech Republic. Although these fruits currently belong to marginal species, there is an increasing interest in cultivating this crop. The main goal of the present study was to determine pomological properties of 6 varieties and 4 ecotypes of Cornus mas L. fruit grown in the Czech Republic and to find out whether it is possible to differentiate these varieties and ecotypes from one another by means of analysis of variance of the obtained data. To exclude the impact of climatic conditions, fruits harvested in three seasons (2010–2012) were analysed. The results showed that the chemical composition of Cornus mas L. varieties or ecotypes originating in the Czech Republic (‘Ruzynsky’, ‘Tisnovsky’, ‘Olomoucky’), Ukraine (‘Elegantni’, ‘Vydubecky’, ‘Vysegrodsky’, ‘Lukjanovsky’), Austria (‘Fruchtal’, ‘Jolico’) and Slovakia (‘Sokolnicky’) is significantly different. Varieties or ecotypes of Cornus mas L. originating in the Czech Republic contained high amount of ascorbic acid (avg. 315 mg kg−1 f.w.). Varieties of Cornus mas originating in Austria were rich in polyphenols (avg. 1728 mg kg−1 f.w.). Slovakian ecotype of Cornus mas ‘Sokolnicky’ contained the highest amount of citric acid (avg. 0.53 g kg−1 f.w.). Ukrainian varieties were characterized by a higher content of trace elements (avg. 2.41 mg kg−1 Cu and 3.37 mg kg−1 Zn f.w.).