APPLICATION OF SENSORY, NUTRACEUTICAL AND GENETIC TECHNIQUES TO CREATE A QUALITY PROFILE OF ANCIENT APPLE CULTIVARS D. DONNO 1 , G.L. BECCARO, M.G. MELLANO, D. TORELLO MARINONI, A.K. CERUTTI, S. CANTERINO and G. BOUNOUS Department of Arboriculture, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, Grugliasco (TO) 10095, Italy 1 Corresponding author. TEL: +39-011-670-8821; FAX: +39-011-670-8658; EMAIL: dario.donno@unito.it Received for Publication August 3, 2011 Accepted for Publication January 16, 2012 doi:10.1111/j.1745-4557.2012.00442.x ABSTRACT With the diffusion of commercial apple varieties since the second half of the last century, hundreds of different local cultivars rapidly disappeared from orchards in Italy, and the particular quality attributes of these fruits are still at risk of being lost today. The aim of this research was to use sensory, nutritional and genetic techniques in order to define the overall quality of fruits from ancient apple cultivars grown in Northern Italy. Cluster analysis arranged the 10 genotypes into five groups; in most cases, the analyzed cultivars demonstrated higher sensory and nutritional qualities than the control (Golden Delicious cv). The cultivars showed higher values of total polyphenolic compounds and a stronger antioxidant activity. The vitamin C content also differed from the control. The sensory analysis, performed by the Fruit Tasters Italian Organization, was an effective characterization tool and genetic analysis further helped to characterize the identity of these interesting cultivars. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The characterization and valorization of old apple cultivars are essential to avoid loss of potentially useful germplasm. The reduction of biodiversity of cultivars found in agriculture could lead to problems such as higher susceptibility to widespread out- breaks of plant diseases and pests, and at the same time, the loss of precious source of nutrients. The conservation of apple biodiversity is valuable in order to maintain the gene pool of the species and to introduce superior quality traits into apple-breeding programs. INTRODUCTION The apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) is one of the most impor- tant fruit tree crops in temperate countries. The species belongs to the genus Malus, originating in Asia Minor, and was later introduced into Europe and Egypt. The genus Malus spread spontaneously in the northern hemisphere, between 30 and 60° latitude.Total world production was about 55*10 6 tons in 2008 (FAOSTAT 2010,http://faostat.fao.org/default.aspx). Until the middle of the last century in Italy, as in many other fruit-producing countries, hundreds of different culti- vars were grown. However, in the 1960s, with the diffusion of commercial varieties because of orchard specialization, the local germplasm lost importance and began to be forgotten by growers and consumers. Many ancient cultivars were gradually replaced by commercial varieties and the Italian fruit-growing scene underwent significant change (Bounous and De Guarda 2008). Indeed, more than 70% of orchards only have one cultivar, the commercial variety Golden Deli- cious. The fruits of the ancient cultivars were characterized by very unconventional quality traits, such as different fruit shapes and skin color, and varying nutritional values and organoleptic traits (such as crispness, juiciness and flavor) (Bounous et al. 2006). For this reason, the ancient cultivars should be preserved in order to maintain both biodiversity and the historical and cultural links that they represent. In the last 10 years, various conservation and development research programs studying the local fruit germplasm have Journal of Food Quality ISSN 1745-4557 1 Journal of Food Quality •• (2012) ••–•• © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.