Variability in fruit quality traits of tropical Australian jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) genotypes

• Substantial physical and biochemical variation exists in 12 jackfruit genotypes. • ‘Accession 304 (yellow-fleshed)’ exhibited the highest fruit and pulp weight. • ‘Accession 348 (orange-fleshed)’ had the maximum fruit edible portion. • ‘Seedling 1’ exhibited highest SSC; while ‘Seedling 2’ had maximum SSC:TA ratio. • Orange-fleshed genotypes demonstrated comparatively higher AsA and TCC. Jackfruit exhibits a high degree of genetic diversity due to cross-pollination and heterozygosity; nevertheless, little is known about the characterisation of fruit quality in jackfruit genotypes grown in tropical Australia. In this study, patterns of morphological and biochemical variation in the fruit of 12 jackfruit genotypes were investigated. Maximum fruit weight and pulp weight were recorded in ‘Accession 304 (yellow-fleshed)’, which can be more suitable for domestic markets. ‘Accession 348 (orange-fleshed)’ exhibited the highest fruit edible portion, showing its potential for both table and processing purposes. There was evidence of wide variability among jackfruit genotypes in total dry matter content ranging from 20.48% in ‘Seedling 1 (yellow-fleshed)’ to 29.66% in ‘Rajang (orange-fleshed)’. The highest ratio of soluble solids content: titratable acidity was recorded in the fruit of ‘Seedling 2 (orange-fleshed)’ which can be a viable option for processing purposes. Orange-fleshed genotypes having higher a* , ascorbic acid and carotenoid content can be favourable for fresh consumption due to bright-coloured bulbs. ‘Accession 306 (yellow-fleshed)’ exhibited the highest total phenolics content, while ‘Rajang (orange-fleshed)’ showed the highest total flavonoids content. Overall, these findings highlight the unique characteristics of each jackfruit genotype and this information would be useful when selecting the genotypes for marketing and processing purposes.