Evaluation of Quality and Contamination Level of Patulin in Infected Traditional and Commercial Apple Cultivars

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of various parameters, including water content, total soluble matter, acid content, sugar content, polyphenol content, antioxidant activity, anthocyanin content, and flavonoid content, on the quality of apples and their resistance to Penicillium expansum infection and subsequent patulin production. The research was conducted on four apple cultivars, namely, the traditional cultivars ‘Wagener’ and ‘Ilzer Rosenapfel’, and the commercial cultivars ‘Jonagold’ and ‘Idared’. The results of the study provide valuable insights into the composition, quality attributes, and potential resistance to Penicillium expansum infection among different apple cultivars. It was shown that cultivars with lower content of polyphenols, anthocyanins, soluble matter, flavonoids, antioxidant activity and sugar had higher level of patulin. These findings have implications for the selection and cultivation of apple cultivars with desirable characteristics, such as taste, antioxidant potential, and reduced mycotoxin contamination.