LINKING SENSORY ATTRIBUTES, CHILLING INJURY AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF PEACH FRUITS

MONTI L.; GABILONDO J.; BUSTAMANTE C.A.; SOSA M.; GARITTA L.; BUDDE C.O.; FERNIE A.; LARA M.V.; DRINCOVICH M.F.

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LI Reunión de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología Molecular; 2015

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

Fruits from three peach varieties with different susceptibility to chilling injury (CI) were selected to analyze quality parameters and consumer´s acceptance, after storage at 0ºC. The varieties selected were Flordaking (FD, CIsusceptible), Rojo 2 (R2, CI-intermediate susceptibility) and Spring Lady (SL, CI-resistant). The % of expressible juice, soluble solids concentration (SSC), and metabolite content assessed by GC-MS in the mesocarp of peach fruits, were analyzed at harvest and after cold storage. The consumer´s acceptance of cold-stored fruits was performed by a panel of 100 hundred consumers. The variables juiciness and flavor evaluated by the consumers were correlated to the % of expressible juice and SSC, respectively. The varieties selected by consumers as the juiciest were those with the highest % of expressible juice, while the varieties perceived with green flavor showed the lowest SSC. The degree of CI was negatively correlated to consumer?s acceptance. Regarding metabolite analysis, it was found a positive correlation between raffinose content and CI resistance, with SL displaying 2- to 3-times higher content than the more susceptible cultivars. Therefore this metabolite may be directly related to such resistance. Since CI greatly impairs consumer´s satisfaction, identification of metabolites involved in CI-resistance would be helpful to assist breeding programs