Agronomic, Physicochemical, Aromatic and Sensory Characterization of Four Sweet Cherry Accessions of the Campania Region
Anna Magri,
Livia Malorni,
Rosaria Cozzolino,
Giuseppina Adiletta,
Francesco Siano,
Gianluca Picariello,
Danilo Cice,
Giuseppe Capriolo,
Angelina Nunziata,
Marisa Di Matteo,
Milena Petriccione
Affiliations
Anna Magri
Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (DiSTABiF), University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Livia Malorni
Institute of Food Science, National Research Council (CNR), Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Rosaria Cozzolino
Institute of Food Science, National Research Council (CNR), Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Giuseppina Adiletta
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Francesco Siano
Institute of Food Science, National Research Council (CNR), Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Gianluca Picariello
Institute of Food Science, National Research Council (CNR), Via Roma 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy
Danilo Cice
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Center for Olive, Fruits, and Citrus Crops, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Giuseppe Capriolo
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Center for Olive, Fruits, and Citrus Crops, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Angelina Nunziata
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Center for Olive, Fruits, and Citrus Crops, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Marisa Di Matteo
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Milena Petriccione
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Center for Olive, Fruits, and Citrus Crops, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) are greatly appreciated fruits worldwide due to their taste, color, nutritional value, and beneficial health effects. The characterization of autochthonous germplasm allows to identify genotypes that possess superior characteristics compared to standard cultivars. In this work, four accessions of sweet cherry from the Campania region (Limoncella, Mulegnana Riccia, Mulegnana Nera and Montenero) were investigated for their morpho-physiological, qualitative, aromatic, and sensorial traits in comparison with two standard cultivars (Ferrovia and Lapins). A high variability in the pomological traits resulted among the samples. Montenero showed comparable fruit weight and titratable acidity to Ferrovia and Lapins, respectively. The highest total soluble solid content was detected in Mulegnana Riccia. A considerable variability in the skin and pulp color of the cherries was observed, varying from yellow-red in Limoncella to a dark red color in Montenero. Mulegnana Nera showed the highest content of polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and ascorbic acid compared to the standard cultivars. Volatile organic compounds profile analysis identified 34 volatile compounds, 12 of which were observed at different concentrations in all the sweet cherry genotypes while the others were genotype-dependent. Conservation and cultivation of autochthonous accessions with suitable nutritional and morpho-physiologic characteristics promotes our agrobiodiversity knowledge and allows to better plan future breeding programs.
