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. 2015 Oct 14:2:15047.
doi: 10.1038/hortres.2015.47. eCollection 2015.

Variations in zonal fruit starch concentrations of apples - a developmental phenomenon or an indication of ripening?

Franziska C Doerflinger  1 , William B Miller  2 , Jacqueline F Nock  2 , Christopher B Watkins  2
Affiliations

Variations in zonal fruit starch concentrations of apples - a developmental phenomenon or an indication of ripening?

Franziska C Doerflinger et al. Hortic Res. .

Abstract

Patterns of starch hydrolysis in stem, equatorial, and calyx zones of 'Honeycrisp' and 'Empire' apples (Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf.) during maturation and ripening, and in 'Gala' apples in response to propylene or 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatments after harvest, were studied. Differences in zonal starch concentrations were found for 'Empire' and 'Gala' fruits, but not for 'Honeycrisp'. During maturation and ripening of 'Empire', the concentration of starch was highest in the calyx end and lowest in the stem region.</title> Differences in rates of starch hydrolysis among zones were not detected. 'Honeycrisp' and 'Empire' had the highest concentration of sorbitol in the calyx region, whereas it was highest in the stem-end region in 'Gala'. The distribution differences of glucose, fructose, and sucrose were similar in all three cultivars; higher fructose and glucose concentrations in the stem region, and higher sucrose concentrations in the calyx end of the fruit. Postharvest treatment of 'Gala' with propylene did not affect the internal ethylene concentration of the fruit but 1-MCP markedly inhibited it. Starch concentrations were highest in the calyx end but gradients of starch among zones were not changed by postharvest treatment. The rate of hydrolysis was slowed by 1-MCP treatment, but was unaffected by propylene. Postharvest treatments influenced sorbitol, glucose, and fructose concentrations. Patterns of starch concentration among the zones did not confirm differences in ripening, but reflected its uneven distribution throughout the fruit during development. Therefore, measured differences in zonal starch are most likely related to starch accumulation during fruit development, rather than differences in rates of starch degradation during ripening.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
IEC in fruit of ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Empire’ during harvest. Each mean is the average of five fruits. Effects of harvest date for each cultivar P < 0.0001.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Starch concentration (mg g−1) of ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Empire’ of stem (S; ▪), equatorial (E; ○), and calyx (C; ▴) at each harvest date. Each mean is the average of five fruits. The R2 represents the linear fit of the data over harvest date; P values: ‘Honeycrisp’ harvest date P < 0.0001, no interaction detected; ‘Empire’ harvest date P < 0.0001, and zone P < 0.0001, no interaction detected.
Figure 3
Figure 3
IEC (µL L−1) of ‘Gala’ in untreated control (C; □), propylene treated (P; •), or 1-MCP-treated (M; ▿) fruit from at harvest (0) to 13 DAH. Each mean is the average of five fruits. The R2 describes the exponential fit; P-values: treatment < 0.001, DAH < 0.001, and treatment × DAH < 0.001.
Figure 4
Figure 4
IAD of ‘Gala’ in untreated control (C; □), propylene treated (P; •), or 1-MCP-treated (M; ▿) fruit from at harvest (0) to 13 DAH. Each mean is the average of five fruits. The R2 describes the exponential fit; P-values: treatment = 0.010, DAH < 0.001, no interaction detected.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Starch concentration (mg g−1 dry wt) in stem, equatorial, and calyx tissues of ‘Gala’ in untreated control (C; □), propylene-treated (P; •), or 1-MCP-treated (M; ▿) fruit from at harvest (0) to 13 DAH (left side) and (ride side) starch concentration in fruit zones of either untreated control, propylene, or 1-MCP-treated fruit; stem-end (S; ▪), equatorial (E; ○), and calyx-end (C; ▴). Each mean is the average of five fruits. The R2 describes the linear fit of the data; P-values: treatment < 0.001, zone < 0.001, DAH < 0.001, zone × DAH < 0.001, no other interactions detected.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Sorbitol, glucose, fructose, and sucrose in stem (S; ▪), equatorial (E; ○), and calyx-end (C; ▴) tissues of ‘Gala’ in untreated control, propylene- or 1-MCP-treated fruit from at harvest (0) to 13 DAH. Each mean is the average of five fruits. The R2 describes the exponential or linear fit of the data.
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