Abstract:Fengxian county is the main apple-producing region in Jiangsu, located in the area of the Grand Canal of Yellow River, and the main cultivar is the Fuji apple. In order to understand the region-specific features of the Jiangsu Fuji apple, physicochemical indicators (content of sugars and acids, color, texture parameters, etc.) and sensory properties (firmness, brittleness, juiciness, sweetness, sourness, etc.) of fresh Fuji apples from Fengxian county were determined and compared with those of Fuji apples grown in Shaanxi province. The results showed that Jiangsu apples had lower sucrose and malic acid content: 75.88 and 58.9% of those of Shaanxi apples, respectively. The peel of Jiangsu apple had higher L* (64.37) and b* (32.12) values, but a lower a* value (11.19), than those of Shaanxi apples, suggesting a weakly red and yellowish color of Jiangsu apple peel. The flesh of Jiangsu apples had lower L* (81.19) and higher b* (29.00) values than those of Shaanxi apples, indicating a yellowish color of Jiangsu apple flesh. The results of texture analyzer measurement showed that the crispness of Jiangsu apples was significantly higher than that of Shaanxi apples. Sensory analysis showed that Jiangsu apples had low firmness and sourness intensity, high crispiness, and was easy to chew, while no significant differences were found in juiciness and sweetness. Furthermore, in the case of preferences, 73.7% of sensory panel assessors showed a preference for the color of Shaanxi apples, but showed no preference for either taste or texture. The results of this study will provide a reference for the evaluation of Jiangsu Fuji apples.
