Abstract
Early- to mid-season apple cultivars have recently been developed in response to global warming; however, their metabolite compositions remain unclear. Herein, metabolites, such as free sugars, and organic acids and antioxidant activity were determined in 10 new and 14 traditional apple cultivars. Additionally, the phenolic profiles of the apple pulp and peel were characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Major phenolic compounds in apples varied depending on the cultivar and tissue (i.e., peel or pulp). Among the new apple cultivars, Decobell and Tinkerbell, showed high antioxidant activity and contained higher phenolic compound content than other cultivars in the peel and pulp, respectively. Honggeum showed high phenolic content with similar sugar to acid ratio compared to popular traditional cultivars. In addition to antioxidant phenolic contents, metabolite profile information can be used to select apple cultivars for various purposes. For example, Indo can be selected for sweet apple taste because of its higher sugar to acid ratio. This information can be used to select apple cultivars for various purposes. For example, Decobell peel could be used as sources of food supplements and food additives, and Tinkerbell pulp can be utilized for apple juice making according to its metabolite profile.
Highlights
Apples are the third most widely consumed fruit globally; approximately 83 million tons were consumed in 2017 [1]
Small apples are preferred for consumption as a single serving by consumers, and early- to mid-season apple cultivars have smaller fruit than traditional late season cultivars [5,6]
The total sugar content ranged from 71.2 to 134.4 g/kg fresh weight (FW), which was consistent with previously reported values of 74.7–199.2 g/kg FW [7,9]
Summary
Apples are the third most widely consumed fruit globally; approximately 83 million tons were consumed in 2017 [1]. Global warming has resulted in a rapid increase in the average surface temperature of the earth, which increased by 0.6–0.9 ◦ C from 1906 to 2005 [2]. The rate of increase has doubled in the last 50 years, accelerating the blooming of apples [3]. Because of the warmer growing seasons, early- to mid-season apple cultivars have recently been widely produced. When traditional apples are grown at high temperatures, the fruit size increases whereas firmness decreases, decreasing the quality of the fruit [4]. Small apples are preferred for consumption as a single serving by consumers, and early- to mid-season apple cultivars have smaller fruit than traditional late season cultivars [5,6]
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