STUDY REGARD SOME QUALITY INDICES AND YIELD ON JUICE EXTRACTION OF THREE APPLE VARIETIES GROWN IN SOUTHEAST ROMANIA

The apple (Malus domestica) is a species commonly found in temperate climates, leading both in cultivated area and fruit production. Apple consumption is recommended throughout the year. To ensure the presence of this fruit in the market for a long and continuous period, it is necessary for the harvest to be stored under optimal and specific conditions. The success of apple storage largely depends on the correct harvesting and timing appropriate for each variety. The composition of phenols and the antioxidant capacity of apple juice play an essential role in defining its quality and contribute significantly to its potential health benefits, acting in synergy with other components. The research was conducted in 2023 and analysed the behaviour of several apple varieties (‘Florina’, ‘Golden Spur’, ‘Jonagored’) and their suitability for apple juice extraction. The experiment took place at the Moara Domnească Experimental Base, which belongs to the Research and Development Station for Fruit Growing Băneasa-Bucharest. The experiment was organized into three variants based on the mentioned varieties, each with three repetitions per variant. Several quality indicators were monitored, such as fruit weight, firmness, main chemical components (total dry matter, soluble dry matter, titratable acidity) as well as the suitability for processing the apples. Additionally, organoleptic testing of the fruits was conducted to assess their sensory quality. Determinations were made on a total of 25 fruits for each variant, with the average used for data processing. It was found that the ‘Florina’ and ‘Golden Spur’ cultivars have a similar average weight (123.30 g and 121.00 g), while ‘Jonagored’ has a significantly larger fruit (138.50 g). In terms of firmness, the ‘Jonagored’ and ‘Golden Spur’ cultivars have similar firmness values (4.45 kgf/cm² and 4.50 kgf/cm²), while the ‘Florina’ cultivar shows a significantly higher firmness compared to the other two (5.19 kgf/cm²). Based on the obtained results, we can conclude that after processing, the ‘Florina’ cultivar had the highest yield in terms of juice volume extracted from the pulp (638.0 ml/kg) and from whole fruits (551.0 ml/kg), followed by the ‘Jonagored’ cultivar (601.0 ml/kg) and the ‘Golden Spur’ cultivar (538.0 ml/kg).