Fruit quality evaluation of diverse apricot cultivars

This research is a part of an ongoing apricot breeding programme. Modern apricot cultivars are distinguished by their large fruit size, intense orange skin color and red blush. However, quality attributes such as taste and aroma are often neglected. Fruit of thirty-six cultivars from different Italian growing districts were evaluated by trained panelists alongside physical (weight, firmness, measure of skin over-colour) and chemical analysis (TSS (%), total acidity (meq.100 g-1) and pH). According to the panel test the cultivars which scored most highly were: ‘Orange Rubis’, ‘Pellecchiella’ and ‘Portici’. Fruit evaluation of diverse commercial apricot cultivars by a taste panel test was a valuable tool in order to assess overall fruit quality, that was highly dependable on texture, both in fresh fruits and after storage. The highest appreciation of both fresh fruit and after a 5-day shelf-life test was correlated to flesh overall texture, aroma, sweetness and juiciness and inversely correlated to mealiness