Quality and Antioxidant Properties of Apricot Fruits at Ready-to-Eat: Influence of the Weather Conditions under Mediterranean Coastal Area

Abstract

The effect of different weather conditions on fruit quality of ‘Pisana’ apricot cultivar (Prunus armeniaca L.) was evaluated over seven consecutive harvesting seasons in central Italy. The main physical-chemical traits, total antioxidant capacity and total phenols of fresh apricots at ready-to-eat were studied. The fruit quality showed a high variability in relation to the climatic conditions, particularly due to the summer rainfall. The most influenced quality parameters were TSS, TA and antioxidant levels: under wet seasons a huge reduction was observed, while strong drought conditions increased these chemical compounds. To improve fruit quality, ‘Pisana’ cultivar benefits of environmental conditions typical of temperate and semi-temperate regions, where water is usually limited.