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The European Commission requires that fruit products distributed on the market meet standards of high quality and authenticity. For the quality assessment of apricot products susceptible to food fraud, an environmentally friendly, simple and cost-effective analytical profiling was developed by high-performance thin-layer chromatography multi-imaging (HPTLC-FLD/Vis). The new phytochemical profiling was applied for analysis of authentic samples (7 apricot and 5 pumpkin samples) and simulated adulterated products (11 mixture samples prepared by addition of 2.5–53% pooled pumpkin to pooled apricot). Based on the analytical eco-scale assessment, the HPTLC-FLD/Vis method was proven as an excellent green analytical method with low energy and solvent consumption. Chemometric data analysis confirmed the difference between apricot and apricot-pumpkin mixtures based on the phytochemical profile. Chemical markers responsible for their differentiation were identified. The results indicated that frauds by adding pumpkin to apricot products can be detected at added contents as low as 2.5%. Supplementary material: [https://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5001]

Fresh apricots pre-treated by pulsed electric fields at different intensities [LPEF, 0.65 kV/cm, 100 Hz, 20 µs and total treatment time 30 s; HPEF1, 1.25 kV/cm, 100 Hz, 20 µs and total treatment time 30 s; HPEF2, 1.25 kV/cm, 100 Hz, 20 µs and total treatment time 60 s], along with controls [non-treated, non-treated and sulphite treated, and heat pre-treatment at 80 °C, for 10 min (HC)] and soaked in 0.2% sodium sulphite solution for 1 h and then were subject to hot air drying. The changes in drying rate, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, and β-carotene contents as well as antioxidant activity and colour in pre-treatment and hot air-dried apricot samples were investigated. PEF and heat treatments increased the drying rate of apricots. PEF treatments had no effect on the PPO activity and decreased the POD activity (p

The carotenoid biosynthesis and phenolic metabolism were studied to explain the effect of methyl salicylate (MeSA) on the lipophilic antioxidant capacity (LAC) and hydrophilic antioxidant capacity (HAC) in apricot during postharvest storage. Our results indicated that the HAC of apricot was higher than LAC and mainly responsible for total antioxidant capacity of apricot. Preharvest spraying of MeSA (0.2 mmol L

The carotenoids in the peel and flesh of 41 apricot cultivars were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed by UHPLC-APCI-MS/MS, and the L*, a*, b* and quality indexes of the fruits were determined. The results showed that the L*, a*, b* and quality indexes of the fruits were quite different, and 13 carotenoids were detected in the peel and flesh of apricots, among which e-carotene, α-cryptoxanthin and apocarotenal were newly detected carotenoids in apricots. The total carotenoid content of the 41 apricot cultivars varied from 20.983 to 320.278 μg/g FW, and the total carotenoid content varied from 17.353 to 222.098 μg/g FW in the peel and from 2.536 to 98.179 μg/g FW in the flesh. The main components of apricot fruits were β-carotene and (E/Z)-phytoene, followed by β-cryptoxanthin and lutein. This study shows that carotenoids in apricot fruits have rich metabolic diversity.

The effects of high humidity hot air impingement blanching (HHAIB) over a range of application times (30, 60, 90, and 120 s) on drying characteristics, hardness, cell wall pectin fractions contents and nanostructure, as well ultrastructure of apricot were investigated. Results showed that HHAIB reduced drying time and decreased the hardness of apricot by 20.7%-34.5% and 46.57%-71.89%, respectively. The water-soluble pectin (WSP) contents increased after blanching, while the contents of chelate-soluble pectin (CSP) and sodium-carbonate-soluble pectin (NSP) decreased significantly (P 0.05). The hardness and drying time were found to correlate inversely with the WSP content, but positively with CSP and NSP contents. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) detection showed the decomposition and degradation of pectin fractions during blanching. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation indicated that the cell wall structure was degraded and middle lamella integrity was destroyed by blanching.

In this study, the effect of microwave (360W, 540W and 720W) oven roasting on oil yields, phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and fatty acid composition of some apricot kernel and oils was investigated. While total phenol contents of control group of apricot kernels change between 54.41mgGAE/100g (Soğancıoğlu) and 59.61mgGAE/100g (Hasanbey), total phenol contents of kernel samples roasted in 720W were determined between 27.41mgGAE/100g (Çataloğlu) and 34.52mgGAE/100g (Soğancıoğlu). Roasting process in microwave at 720W caused the reduction of some phenolic compounds of apricot kernels. The gallic acid contents of control apricot kernels ranged between 7.23mg/100g (Kabaaşı) and 11.23mg/100g (Çataloğlu) whereas the gallic acid contents of kernels roasted in 540W changed between 15.35mg/100g (Soğancıoğlu) and 21.17mg/100g (Çataloğlu). In addition, oleic acid contents of control group oils vary between 65.98% (Soğancıoğlu) and 71.86% (Hasanbey), the same fatty acid ranged from 63.48% (Soğancıoğlu) to 70.36% (Hasanbey).

An investigation on the proteome of the sweet kernel of apricot, based on equalisation with combinatorial peptide ligand libraries (CPLLs), SDS-PAGE, nLC-ESI-MS/MS, and database search, permitted identifying 175 proteins. Gene ontology analysis indicated that their main molecular functions are in nucleotide binding (20.9%), hydrolase activities (10.6%), kinase activities (7%), and catalytic activity (5.6%). A protein-protein association network analysis using STRING software permitted to build an interactomic map of all detected proteins, characterised by 34 interactions. In order to forecast the potential health benefits deriving from the consumption of these proteins, the two most abundant, i.e. Prunin 1 and 2, were enzymatically digested in silico predicting 10 and 14 peptides, respectively. Searching their sequences in the database BIOPEP, it was possible to suggest a variety of bioactivities, including dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) and angiotensin converting enzyme I (ACE) inhibition, glucose uptake stimulation and antioxidant properties.

The effect of nanochitosan coating containing pomegranate peel extract (PPE) at concentrations 0.5, 0.75 and 1% (w/v) on postharvest quality of apricot fruit was studied during storage at 4 °C for 30 days. Nanoemulsions showed significant increase in droplet diameter 275–400 nm, decrease in zeta potential −30–23 mV and viscosity 90–76 mPas−1 with increase in PPE concentration. Results confirmed that apricot fruit treated with chitosan and 1% PPE showed significantly reduced decay percentage, weight loss, effectively retained DPPH radical scavenging activity, ascorbic acid, kept titratable acidity and firmness at high level than untreated fruit. Color attributes showed decrease in L*, a* values and significant increase in b* value. Nanochitosan containing 1% PPE significantly inhibited total psychrophilic bacterial count, yeast and mold count during storage. Our results suggest that chitosan coatings enriched with pomegranate peel extract has the potential to preserve the quality and extend shelf life of apricot.

Japanese apricot liqueur manufacturers are required to control the quality and authenticity of their liqueur products. Citric acid made from corn is the main acidulant used in commercial liqueurs. In this study, we conducted spiking experiments and carbon and hydrogen stable isotope analyses to detect exogenous citric acid used as an acidulant in Japanese apricot liqueurs. Our results showed that the δ13C values detected exogenous citric acid originating from C4 plants but not from C3 plants. The δ2H values of citric acid decreased as the amount of citric acid added increased, whether the citric acid originated from C3 or C4 plants. Commercial liqueurs with declared added acidulant provided higher δ13C values and lower δ2H values than did authentic liqueurs and commercial liqueurs with no declared added acidulant. Carbon and hydrogen stable isotope analyses are suitable as routine methods for detecting exogenous citric acid in Japanese apricot liqueur.

Cell wall polysaccharides play an important role in postharvest fruit texture softening. Effects of calcium treatment combined with cold storage on the physical properties, polysaccharide content and nanostructure of apricots were investigated. Apricots were immersed in distilled water, 1% or 3% w/v calcium chloride, then stored at 5°C or 10°C. Storage at 5°C significantly improved apricot quality and shelf life. Significant changes in the concentration and nanostructure of cell wall pectins and hemicelluloses revealed their disassembly and degradation during apricot storage. These modifications could be retarded by 1% w/v calcium chloride treatment. Meanwhile, the basic width units of apricot cell wall polysaccharide chains were 11.7, 31.2 and 39.1nm for water-soluble pectin, 11.7, 17.6 and 19.5nm for chelate-soluble pectin, and 15.6 and 23.4nm for hemicellulose. The results suggest that texture of apricots can be effectively maintained by 1% calcium chloride treatment and storage at 5°C.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of osmotic dehydration (with and without sonication) and the use of different types of edible coating on functional and color parameters of dried apricot. Osmotic pretreatment was carried out in sorbitol solution of 35 °Brix at 55 °C for 30 and 45 min. Two levels of ultrasound frequency (25 and 35 kHz) were tested. Samples were coated using pectin + citric acid (CA), pectin + ascorbic acid (AA) and pectin alone after osmotic treatment and were dried at 60 °C. The results revealed that ultrasound assisted osmotic dehydration (UOD) led to the loss of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and vitamin C compared to osmotic dehydration (OD). TPC and β-carotene contents decreased with the increase in sonication frequency from 25 to 35 kHz. However, UOD pretreated samples showed higher antioxidant capacity and β-carotene content than OD apricots. OD improved color of hot-air dried apricot compared to UOD pretreatment. The use of pectin + AA coating increased TPC and vitamin C retention and total antioxidant activity of OD or UOD pretreated samples compared to pectin or pectin + CA coatings. UOD and pectin + AA coated samples showed lower L* and b*, and higher a* values, whereas coating with CA improved color of dried apricot cubes. Coatings containing CA or AA promoted β-carotene retention in dried apricot pretreated by OD and UOD.

International audience; The changes of texture and cell wall characteristics of apricot were investigated in ten clones at two maturity stages. Fruit firmness, cell wall composition and enzyme activity of three apricot flesh zones were analysed. The AIS (alcohol-insoluble solids) were characterised by high amounts of uronic acid (179-300 mg g-1 AIS) and relatively high amounts of cellulosic glucose (118-214 mg g-1 AIS). The methylesterification degree varied significantly among the different clones ranging from 58 to 97 in Ab 5 and Mans 15 respectively. Conversely to zones firmness, enzymatic activity was higher in pistil followed by equatorial and peduncle zones. The ripening effect has been observed in firmness evolution according to enzymatic activity. This correlation allowed a classification of clones depending on softening. Among studied clones, Ab 5, Marouch 16, Mans 15 and Cg 2 were less influenced by softening and have the advantage of a technological valorisation for the processing industry.

Popular liqueurs made from apricot/cherry pits were evaluated in terms of their phenolic composition and occurrence of cyanogenic glycosides (CGG). Analyses consisted of detailed phenolic and cyanogenic profiles of cherry and apricot seeds as well as beverages prepared from crushed kernels. Phenolic groups and cyanogenic glycosides were analyzed with the aid of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrophotometry (MS). Lower levels of cyanogenic glycosides and phenolics have been quantified in liqueurs compared to fruit kernels. During fruit pits steeping in the alcohol, the phenolics/cyanogenic glycosides ratio increased and at the end of beverage manufacturing process higher levels of total analyzed phenolics were detected compared to cyanogenic glycosides (apricot liqueur: 38.79 μg CGG per ml and 50.57 μg phenolics per ml; cherry liqueur 16.08 μg CGG per ml and 27.73 μg phenolics per ml). Although higher levels of phenolics are characteristic for liqueurs made from apricot and cherry pits these beverages nevertheless contain considerable amounts of cyanogenic glycosides.

PubMedID: 26213033 Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was extracted and purified from Turkish Alyanak apricot variety and its characteristics were studied in two consecutive years (2008 and 2009). Three isoenzymes (isoenzyme A1, A2 and B) were obtained upon ammonium sulfate fractionation, ion exchange chromatography using DEAE-Toyopearl 650 M and gel filtration chromatography using Sephadex G-100. The isoenzymes exhibited different kinetic properties. Furthermore, year-to-year variability in Km and Vmax values was significant. The pH optimum for enzyme activity was 4.98 for isoenzymes A1 and A2, and 5.8 for isoenzyme B. The isoenzymes A1 and B had optimum temperature at 30°C in both years whereas isoenzyme A2 had maximum activity at 40°C in 2008 and 30°C in 2009. The inactivation kinetics parameters and the effects of inhibitors tested exhibited significant year-to-year variation. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This study (ZF2008D4) was funded by the Research Fund of the University of Cukurova , Turkey.

The present study shows a relationship between the use of organic or conventional practices and the allergenic properties and the bioactive compound content of apricots. The presented results indicate that organic apricots contain significantly more biologically active compounds from polyphenols group 53.75 mg/100 g FW and 31.52 mg/100 g FW and carotenoids 10.90 mg/100 g FW and 8.42 mg/100 g FW in than conventional apricots from polyphenols 16.83 mg/100 g FW and 27.27 mg/100 g FW and carotenoids 4.01 mg/100 g FW and 3.85 mg/100 g FW. Organic fruits are characterized by a higher allergenic potential. The authors of the current research have found a strong relationship between the content of polyphenolic compounds and the content of allergenic proteins for organic apricots R2 = 0.9044 and for conventional apricots R2 = 0.8169. The main conclusion is that some organic apricots, despite their better quality, would not be recommended for consumption by allergy sufferers.

The effects of near freezing temperature (NFT) storage at −1.9 °C on cell wall degradation of ‘Shushanggan’ apricot was studied comparing to 0 °C and 5 °C storage. Our results indicated that NFT storage strongly inhibited the solubilization of Na2CO3-soluble pectin and cellulose, by the suppression of cell wall modifying enzymes (polygalacturonase, β-Galactosidase, pectin methyl esterase and cellulase) and related genes expressions. The loss of side chains was the main modification in CDTA (Cyclohexane-diamine-tetraacetic Acid)-soluble pectin during storage and made the main contribution to the softening of apricot, while the loss of side chain was suppressed by NFT storage. Microscopic observation showed that NFT storage delayed the degradation of pectin fraction and protected cell wall structure from loosing. This study proves that NFT storage is an effective technology to suppress the cell wall polysaccharides degradation and ultrastructure modification of apricot.

The effects of exogenous polyamines treatment on reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism in apricot fruits were systematically analyzed through the investigation of their curative and preventive effects on black spot disease. Results showed that 1.5 mM spermine (Spm), 1.5 mM spermidine (Spd) and 10 mM putrescine (Put) treatment significantly inhibited black spot development, additionally, the efficacy of this control was dependent upon the type of polyamines used and concentration level applied. Further studies have shown that exogenous polyamines treatments significantly improved production of O2 − and H2O2, and increased the activities and gene expression levels of NADPH oxidase (NOX), super oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) ascorbate peroxidase (AXP) and glutathione reductase (GR) in apricot fruit. Increased ascorbic acid (AsA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) content were also observed after exogenous polyamines treatment. These results have revealed that postharvest polyamines treatment effectively enhanced disease resistance through the maintenance of homeostasis in apricot fruits.

The carbon stable isotopic composition (δ13C) is often analyzed to quantify the addition of acidulants to Japanese apricot liqueur, but little is known about the variation in the δ13C values of the main organic acids arising from differences in the ripeness of Japanese apricots. We show that in Japanese apricot liqueur prepared using fruits at different stages of ripeness, the δ13C values of citric acid and malic acid ranged from -25.1‰ to -23.7‰ and from -22.3‰ to -19.7‰, respectively, and the δ13C values decreased as the fruit ripened. The average δ13C value of citric acid from liqueurs was 0.7‰ higher than that from fresh fruits, whereas the δ13C values of malic acid showed no isotope discrimination. The variation in δ13C values of the main organic acids in Japanese apricot liqueurs will help detect acidulant addition and control authenticity.

The effects of various sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations (0, 451, 832, 1594, 2112 and 3241mg/kg) on the profiles and contents of organic acids (OAs) and β-carotene in sulfured dried apricots (SDAs) were investigated during storage at 4, 20 and 30°C for 379days. In all samples, four OAs [malic acid (MA), citric acid (CA), succinic acid (SA) and oxalic acid (OXA)] were identified. SA (13.9-31.8g/kgdw) was the major OA in SDAs containing SO2 at lower than 1594mgSO2/kg, while MA (11.7-11.7g/kgdw) was the major OA in SDAs containing SO2 at higher than 1594mgSO2/kg. As SO2 concentration increased, CA and OXA contents increased whereas MA contents decreased. Moreover, the highest stabilities of β-carotene, MA and SO2 were determined in SDAs containing 1594mgSO2/kg at 4°C. Therefore, we suggest using 1594mgSO2/kg and storing SDAs at 4°C to protect OAs and β-carotene.

The effects of storage and post-harvest maturation on the physicochemical characteristics and volatile constituents of Bergeron apricot were investigated during the 2007 season over two experiments. Fruits, harvested at two distinct stages of maturity, in two different experimental orchards, were stored in cold chambers at +1 °C for up to 3 weeks and then subjected to a post-harvest maturation in ripening chambers at 20 °C and 60–70% RH up to 7 days. Firmness, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), and the levels of the main volatiles were determined. Physicochemical changes included a significant decrease of firmness during both storage and post-harvest maturation whereas the levels of SS and TA were found to be very similar. The results also indicated that, whatever their initial stage of maturity at harvest, the rates of softening of apricots during storage and/or post-harvest maturation were very comparable. During post-harvest maturation, the levels of C 6 -compounds decreased drastically whereas, at the same time, those of esters, lactones and terpenic compounds greatly increased. During storage at 1 °C, a decrease of C 6 -compounds was also observed. As regards other compounds, there were some statistically different results between samples but the changes observed for lactones, esters and terpenic compounds were relatively small in comparison to those observed during post-harvest maturation at 20 °C. The results also showed that, at the end, qualitative and quantitative differences can be observed in the “ready-to-eat” apricots according to their initial stage of maturity at harvest. On average, apricots harvested at the most advanced stage of maturity have, on average, the highest levels of soluble solids and the highest levels of volatile compounds of interest.

Carotenoids including carotenoid esters from six apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cultivars and from eight cultivars from three pumpkin species (Cucurbita maxima Duch., Cucurbita pepo L., and Cucurbita moschata Duch.) were extracted without saponification, separated on a C-30 reversed-phase column and characterised by high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The predominant free carotenoids were quantified by HPLC with diode array detection. In contrast to previously published data, α-carotene could not be detected in apricots. Although the pumpkins showed significant differences in their free carotenoid profiles, major unesterified compounds different from those found in apricots could be determined. However, due to the natural heterogeneity, authentication of the apricot products cannot be accomplished exclusively using the profile of free carotenoids. Therefore, the investigations were extended to carotenoid esters. The xanthophyll ester profiles in pumpkins significantly differed from those in apricots in that the latter also contained both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, whereas in pumpkins exclusively saturated fatty acids were detected. Admixtures of lower cost pumpkins could be detected in quantities of ⩾5% by increased contents of lutein and zeaxanthin, and by the appearance of antheraxanthin and α-carotene, respectively, depending on the added pumpkin cultivar, as well as the presence of characteristic lutein and antheraxanthin esters. However, pronounced differences in the carotenoid profiles of the investigated pumpkins and the partly minor amount of characteristic compounds lead to limitations of the detection of 5% level of admixture of pumpkin to apricot and of the method in general.

Cell wall polysaccharides were investigated for their suitability as markers for quality and authenticity control of fruit products. For this purpose, the alcohol-insoluble residue (AIR) from several cultivars of apricots and peaches of different harvest seasons, provenances, and stages of ripeness was extracted and subsequently fractionated into acid- and EDTA/alkali-soluble pectins, hemicellulose, and cellulose. Each fraction was analysed for its neutral sugar composition by gas chromatography. In addition, analyses were also carried out on several cultivars of pumpkins because of their potential for use in fraudulent admixtures. Within the respective fruit species, characteristic neutral sugar profiles of the AIR and its fractions were observed, which were found to be independent of the cultivar, harvest season, and provenance. The fruit specific saccharide composition may be used for the differentiation of fruit products devoid of carbohydrate-based hydrocolloids. Furthermore, the isolated hemicellulose may also allow the detection of admixtures of non-specified fruit in complex fruit products, such as jams, spreads, and fruit preparations.

During the ripening of three apricot cultivars (“Keckemetska ruza”, “Madjarska najbolja” and “Velika rana”) grown in two different geographical region of Croatia the changes of polyphenols and carotenoids were determined by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV–Vis photo diode array detection. The content of individual polyphenols during ripening was quite similar, whereas their amount differed significantly. Immature fruits showed the highest level of polyphenols, which decreased at semi-mature fruits and did not change remarkably in commercial mature fruits. Among polyphenols, flavan-3-ols, chlorogenic acid and quercetin-3-rutinoside were dominant in all ripening stages of all apricot cultivars. The quantity of polyphenols during apricot fruits ripening depended on cultivars, while the region of cultivation did not have remarkable influence on polyphenols amount. During ripening carotenoids increased significantly especially β-carotene which represented 70–85% of the total carotenoid content. Besides β-carotene, in all apricot cultivars γ-carotene was found. α-Carotene, zeaxantin and lutein were found in cv. “Madjarska najbolja” and in cv. “Velika rana” α-carotene and lutein were determined. The region of cultivation and the cultivar were important factors, which influenced the carotenoid amount of apricot fruits, and this content was higher in cultivars grown in Mediterranean region.

The in vitro binding of bile acids by bananas ( Musa × paradisiaca ), peaches ( Prunus persica ), pineapple ( Ananus comosus ), grapes ( Vitis spp.), pears ( Pyrus communis ), apricots ( Prunus armeniaca ) and nectarines ( Prunus persica, nectarina ) was determined using a mixture of bile acids secreted in human bile at a duodenal physiological pH of 6.3. Six treatments and two blank incubations were conducted, testing various fresh fruits on an equal dry matter basis. Considering cholestyramine (bile acid binding, cholesterol lowering drug) as 100% bound, the relative in vitro bile acid binding percentages on dry matter (DM), total dietary fibre and total polysaccharides basis were 2–9%, 15–101% and 10–101%, respectively. Bile acid binding, on a DM basis, for bananas was significantly ( P ⩽ 0.05) higher and that for nectarines significantly lower than those for peaches, pineapple, grapes, pears and apricots. The bile acid bindings for peaches and pineapple were similar and significantly higher than those for grapes, pears and apricots. Binding values for grapes and pears were significantly higher than apricots. These results point to the relative health promoting potential of bananas > peaches = pineapple > grapes = pears > apricots > nectarines, as indicated by their bile acid binding on a DM basis. The variability in bile acid binding between the fruits tested maybe related to their phytonutrients, antioxidants, polyphenols, flavonoids (anthocyanins, flavonols, and proanthocyanidins), structure, hydrophobicity of undigested fractions, anionic or cationic nature of the metabolites produced during digestion or their interaction with active binding sites. Animal studies are planned to validate in vitro bile acid binding of fruits, observed herein, to their healthful potential, atherosclerosis amelioration and cancer prevention.

The antioxidant properties of peeled, defatted and roasted apricot kernel flours were evaluated by determining radical scavenging power (RSP), anti-lipid peroxidative activity (ALPA), reducing power (RP), total phenolic content (TPC), assessed by DPPH test, β-carotene bleaching method, iron (III to II) reducing test and Folin method, respectively. Browning degree of the samples was also measured and found to increase almost linearly with the roasting time. Contrary to browning degree, RSP, RP and TPC did not increase linearly but showed a maximum for 10 min of roasting. Roasting reduced the ALPA values, thus unroasted sample showed the highest ALPA value. RSP, RP and TPC measurements of all samples, were in high correlation (at least, r = 0.92).

Aroma compounds are presents in raw foods, freely and glycosidically-bounded (aroma precursors). In the present work, the volatile fraction of eight varieties of apricot were analyzed using simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE), solid phase extraction (SPE) with reverse phase (C18), liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME). The free aroma compounds were identified by GC–MS, finding common compounds such as linalool, α-terpineol, β-ionone and γ-decalactone and specific compounds due to the extraction method used. The ANOVA showed a significant effect in the extraction techniques and on the varieties in the free aromatic fraction from apricot as well. In spite of a large number of volatile compounds extracted by SPE, the technique that allowed for the most number of compounds to be extracted was SPME. On the other hand, aroma potentials were evaluated. Chemical hydrolysis involved in SDE thermal treatments favoring the release of terpenes, aldehydes and lactones while phenol compounds, alcohols and ketones were released after the exogenous enzymatic hydrolysis.

A method for detecting the undeclared addition of acidic ingredients is required to control the authenticity of Japanese apricot liqueur. We developed an analytical procedure that minimizes carbon isotope discrimination for measurement of the δ(13)C values of citric and malic acid isolated from Japanese apricot liqueur. Our results demonstrated that freeze-drying is preferable to nitrogen spray-drying, because it does not significantly affect the δ(13)C values of citric acid and results in smaller isotope discrimination for malic acid. Both 0.1% formic acid and 0.2% phosphoric acid are acceptable HPLC mobile phases for the isolation of citric and malic acid, although the δ(13)C values of malic acid exhibited relatively large variation compared with citric acid following isolation using either mobile phase. The developed procedure allows precise δ(13)C measurements of citric and malic acid isolated from Japanese apricot liqueur.

The possibility of proving the authenticity of apricot nectars and jams has been investigated by using the phenol compound fingerprint. Phenol composition of the raw material (apricots and apples), their purees, apricot nectars and jams (with and without addition the definite shares of apple puree) prepared under laboratory conditions and commercial apricot nectars and jams has been determined by high performance liquid chromatography with the UV-Diode Array detection. In addition to large number of various phenol compounds contained in an apples, characteristic marker compounds of the dihydrochalcone group (phloretin 2′-xylosylglucoside and phloretin 2′-glucoside), could be determined. By using the mentioned compounds, undeclared apple admixture in the apricot based products could be detected. The cheaper admixture of the apple puree (⩾10%) in the apricot nectars could be proved by using phloretin 2′-glucoside and phloretin 2′-xylosyglucoside, and only by using phloretin 2′-glucoside if apple puree was added in relatively low level about 5%. The undeclared admixture of apple puree in apricot jams could be detected by both mentioned dihydrochalcones if apple puree was added in level above 20%, and only by phloretin 2′-glucoside if apple puree was added in level about 10%.

Here we described a rapid evaluation of volatile profiles of several commercial fruit juices (pear, apricot and peach) by headspace-solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-SPME and GC/MS). This method allows to analyse a wide range of flavour compounds (97 esters, aldehydes, alcohols, terpenoids, lactones, and isoprene derivatives) and is a rapid, easy and inexpensive procedure. In addition, this is the first study to report the detection of several norisoprenoids (mainly naphthalenes) that characterised apricot and peach juices. Moreover, by means of volatile compounds it could be possible to distinguish between juices of organic and conventional production and juices with flavourings additioned.

High-pressure liquid chromatographic and fluorometric methods were utilized to determine the vitamin (A, C, E and β-carotene) and selenium levels in apricot fruit. The vitamins (A, C, and E), β-carotene and selenium levels of both fresh and sulphurized (sulphur-dried) apricot fruit from several common cultivars and wild type, grown in different regions, were analysed. The effects of post-harvest processing, regional difference and cultivar type on the levels of these nutrients were investigated. Cultivated varieties possessed significantly higher vitamin C (P