R. Lo Scalzo et al., 'Annurca' apple fruit, a southern Italy apple cultivar: textural properties and aroma composition, FOOD CHEM, 73(3), 2001, pp. 333-343
'Annurca' apple fruit, which is commonly cultivated in southern Italy and u
ndergoes a typical reddening treatment and, is notable for its high firmnes
s and its characteristic flavour, was examined for its pectic and aroma com
position. Pectin, extracted with a water solution of potassium oxalate and
dimethylsulphoxide, was found to be quantitavely and qualitatively importan
t for its contribution to the high tissue firmness. Pectin changes its comp
osition during the reddening process and there is even a difference in the
pectic composition of the two 'Annurca' clones examined in this paper, 'Sta
ndard' and 'Rossa del Sud'. Volatile compounds were collected by headspace
sampling of intact unreddened and reddened fruits. Thirty-one compounds of
several chemical classes were identified, to establish their role in the ch
aracteristic flavor of this apple cv. Among these compounds, M-pentanol was
unusually present in large amounts; also delta -octalactone, never found i
n apples, was present. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.