Phenotypic characterization and quality perception of unsulfurated dried apricots in a panel of European accessions and breeding selections

Dried apricots are a nutrient-rich food increasingly attracting consumer's interest, especially when processed without preservative substances. Despite a certain increase of market demand, dried apricot production still relies on a few varieties with poorly differentiated taste and aroma. This study evaluates several quality-related features in fresh apricots and their impact on taste after drying in a set of fourteen accessions and breeding selections and includes three commercial standards to corroborate the results. The characterization of European apricot germplasm could allow the identification of novel materials that possess superior organoleptic characteristics after hot-air drying in order to renew the current varietal landscape. Apricot fruits were collected at full-physiological ripening stage in two harvesting seasons (2021 and 2022) in Italy and were characterized for several physical (fruit weight, flesh firmness and dry matter) and chemical (content of total polyphenols, soluble solids, titratable acidity and ten organic acids) attributes. The whole apricot accessions showed a phenotypic variation extremely valuable in ongoing breeding programmes that try to enhance fruit quality. Among the totality of apricot advanced selections, ‘BO02611038’, ‘BO10619011’, ‘BO11618023’ and ‘BO12607228’ were the most ranked for their high aroma, medium sourness and low bitterness. Citrate and malate were the most abundant organic acids found in fruit flesh and skin but only quinate seemed to enhance the sour taste and impact the sweetness. Interestingly, no differences were perceived by panelists in sweet taste perception leading to consider it an already-achieved breeding target in the European accessions included in our study. In addition, fruit dry matter content seemed to affect both textural properties and taste advancing it as a reliable selection criterion in novel apricot accessions meant for drying. The majority of the dried selections analyzed in this study revealed a superior organoleptic profile compared to commercial standards. A detailed characterization of fresh fruit quality attributes indicated that some parameters might be used to predict the sensory potential of dried apricots, while the aromatic profile seemed the next breeding target to improve the overall taste and further increase the degree of liking in consumers.