Physicochemical characterisation of the mature-green Golden apple (Spondias cytherea Sonnerat)

Abstract

Introduction. Mature-green Golden apples (Spondias cytherea Sonnerat) are used in the French West Indies for the preparation of a nectar. With the aim of improving the fruit processing conditions for a better quality of this beverage, morphological and compositional characteristics of the mature-green fruits were determined. Materials and methods. Mature-green fruits were harvested in Martinique (French West Indies) and characterised: diameter, length, mass, and colour were determined; pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, sugars, proteins, starch, fibre, vitamin C, phenols and green pigments were measured. Results and discussion. Average fruit length, diameter and weight were 71 mm, 54 mm and 116.4 g, respectively. With a low pH (2.6) and a high titratable acidity (1.3 g citric acid Eq·100 g-1 fresh material), mature-green Golden apple is an acidic fruit comparable to the lemon. The fruit is rich in vitamin C (52.0 mg·100 g-1), phenols (349.5 mg gallic acid Eq·100 g-1) and starch (7.1 g·100 g-1). The pale green colour of the pulp is due to pheophytins a and b. Conclusion. Our study provided a detailed analysis of mature-green Golden apples, which will be taken into account for the improvement of nectar processing conditions. © 2005 Cirad/EDP Sciences. All rights reserved.