Peach, Apple, and Pear Fruit Quality: To Peel or Not to Peel?

Michail Michailidis,Athanassios Molassiotis,Elpida Nasiopoulou,Evangelos Karagiannis,Christina Skodra,Georgia Tanou

doi:10.3390/horticulturae7040085

Michail Michailidis, Athanassios Molassiotis + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7040085

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Journal: Horticulturae	Publication Date: Apr 17, 2021
Citations: 13	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Abstract

The nutritional value of the peeled and unpeeled fruit (peel plus flesh tissues) was studied using four peach (Prunus persica L.; Red Heaven, Maria Blanca, Big Top, and Queen Giant), two pear (Pyrus communis L.; Santa Maria, Pyrus pyrifolia N.; Nashi), and three apple (Malus domestica Borkh.; Gala, Granny Smith, and Red Chief) cultivars. Based on principal components analysis (PCA) models, there was a clear differentiation among the cultivars’ and the peeled fruits’ nutritional characteristics in comparison to the unpeeled ones. Increased antioxidant capacity and content of total phenols and flavonoids of peaches (Red Heaven and Maria Blanca) versus nectarines (Big Top and Queen Giant) were recorded. In contrast, nectarines were characterized by higher hydroxycinnamates and dry matter. The apples’ cultivar Granny Smith exhibited a high level of titratable acidity (TA), while the Gala displayed a high level of soluble solids concentration (SSC), carotenoids, dry matter, hydroxycinnamic acids, and flavonols at the unpeeled fruit, whereas the Red Chief by increased anthocyanins, antioxidant capacity, total phenols, and flavonoids. Nashi pears with peel were more beneficial due to the strong skin contribution in the fruits’ beneficial compounds content. The peel of the Granny Smith cultivar was associated with an increased level of P, K, Ca, and Mg, whereas that of Red Chief with increased anthocyanins and Mg content.

Highlights

Diets high in fruits are widely recommended for their health-promoting properties [1].apple, pear, and peach are economically important fruits that are highly appreciated by consumers worldwide
An increased titratable acidity (TA) was observed for Red Haven peach and Santa Maria pear based on the log-ratio of unpeeled to peeled fruit (Table 1)
The current results revealed the significant impact of peeling in flavonols of Santa Maria pears (Table 1) and it was similar to that reported earlier by Li [10]

Summary

Introduction

Diets high in fruits are widely recommended for their health-promoting properties [1].apple, pear, and peach are economically important fruits that are highly appreciated by consumers worldwide. At the peel tissue of these fruits, bacteria or other microorganisms harmful to human health could be developed as well as high concentrations of pesticide residues might be detected [2,3]. It is widely accepted that several beneficial substances (e.g., flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols, anthocyanins, carotenoids) are highly accumulated in the peel compared to flesh tissue of various fruits, including peaches [6,7,8,9], pears [10,11], and apples [12,13,14]. It has been reported that the peel tissue of these fruit species accumulates higher content of minerals such as Ca, Mg, P, Fe, Mn, Zn than the flesh tissue [15,16,17,18]. The aim of this study was to characterize the differences in quality, antioxidant-related traits, and nutrient elements between peeled and unpeeled fruits of various peach, pear, and apple cultivars

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