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Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (22): 156-164.doi: 10.11924/j.issn.1000-6850.casb2025-0226

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Fruit Quality Analysis of Pyrus bretschneideri ‘Laiyang’ at Different Tree Ages

WU Dandan1,2(), WU Xiaoxing3, LIN Menghua1, LIANG Ying1, GU Hongsheng4()   

  1. 1 Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety of Jiangsu Province/ Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014
    2 School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013
    3 Jiangsu Institute of Science and Technology Information, Nanjing 210042
    4 Qidong Promotion Center of Agricultural Technology, Qidong, Jiangsu 226200
  • Received:2025-03-20 Revised:2025-06-24 Online:2025-08-05 Published:2025-08-11

Abstract:

In order to clarify the effect of tree age on the fruit quality of Pyrus bretschneideri ‘Laiyang’, fruit samples from trees with eight different ages from 5 to over 400 years old were selected. Quality indicators including organic acids, soluble sugars and antioxidant capacity were measured and analyzed. The results indicated that the single fruit weight from trees with 300 a and 400 a- was significantly higher than those from 5, 50, 75 and 100 a. The fruits from the tree with 400 a- exhibited the highest soluble solids content and solid-acid ratio. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents in the peel were approximately one order of magnitude higher than those in the pulp, and the contents of total phenols and total flavonoids in pear peel and pulp were significantly different among some tree ages. In both the peel and pulp, malic acid was the highest organic acid. The contents of malic acid, quinic acid, and citric acid in the peel initially increased and then decreased with tree age, with malic acid content in the trees with 100-400 a- being higher than those in 25-75 a and significantly higher than those in 5 a. The contents of quinic acid and citric acid in the trees with 50-400 a-were higher or significantly higher than those in 5 and 25 a. The main soluble sugars in both peel and pulp were fructose, sorbitol, glucose, and sucrose, with fructose content in the tree with 400 a- being significantly higher than other tree ages. The ferric ion reducing ability of the peel fluctuated and increased with tree age, peaking in the tree with 400 a-, while the ABTS radical scavenging ability showed significant differences among some tree ages, with the highest in the tree with 300 a. The ferric ion reducing ability and ABTS radical scavenging ability of the pulp increased with tree age, reaching their peaks in the trees with 100 a and 400 a-, respectively. This study clarified the key influence of tree age on the quality formation of Pyrus bretschneideri ‘Laiyang’, and provided a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of ancient tree resources and the protection of excellent germplasm resources.

Key words: Pyrus bretschneideri ‘Laiyang’, fruit, quality, tree age, organic acids, soluble sugars, antioxidant capacity