Document Type : Research paper
Authors
1
Department of Horticultural Science and Landscape, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
2
Department of Horticultural Sciences and Landscape, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
3
Department of Horticultural Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
4
Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
10.22059/ijhst.2024.369189.739
Abstract
Plums have become more popular among consumers because of their nutritional benefits. This study aims to evaluate the quality of 17 different plum cultivars in order to identify new varieties with superior flavor and aroma to rejuvenate the market. Plum fruits were collected at the full-physiological ripening stage (between July and October 2021-2022) in Iran. They assessed for various physical (such as fruit length, width, flesh thickness, and weight) and chemical attributes (including total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, anthocyanin, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids). Unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) was used to analyze the data and differentiate between the different cultivars. The results showed that the various plum cultivars exhibited significant phenotypic variation, which is advantageous for enhancing fruit quality. Total soluble solids ranged from 9.64% to 16.49% while titratable acidity (TA) ranged from 0.26 to 0.88 mg 100 g-1 FW. Total phenol content, ascorbic acid, and flavonoid levels varied between 129.8-738.6, 2.53-9.24, and 452.2-967 mg 100 g-1 FW, respectively. The value for anthocyanin ranged from 2.22 to 43.58 mg 100 g-1 FW. In conclusion, cultivars like ‘Beygom’, ‘Torghabeh Sabz’, and ‘Jangaly’ stood out for their fruit firmness and are suitable for drying, storage or transportation. Additionally, ‘Beygom’ and ‘Torghabeh Sabz’ were also found to be rich in bioactive compounds, making them ideal for breeding programs. Overall, different plum genotypes have the potential to be grown in commercial orchards for various purposes, or to replace popular commercial varieties with similar growing conditions. They may also be valuable in breeding projects.
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