Fatty Acids Composition of Apples in Storage

Studies on Chilling Injury of Apples Part I

Abstract

As the first step of making clear the mechanism of chilling injury of apples, fatty acids composition of neutral lipid fraction, conjugated lipid fraction, phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine in the pulp was investigated in terms of varieties and storage time. As the result, following facts became apparent. (1) The ratio of unsaturated fatty acids to total fatty acids of Ralls Janet which is resistant to cold temparature was higher than that of Starking Delicious which is sensitive to cold temparature. (2) In the case of Starking Delicious, the content of unsaturated fatty acids increased after two and four month storage. On the other hand, the content of Ralls Janet decreased after two months, but increased after four months. (3) The ratio of conjugated lipid to the total lipid of both Ralls Janet and Starking Deliccious was about 80%. (4) In the case of Starking Delicious, the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids to total fatty acids decreased in proportion as the degree of ripeness advanced.