1985 Volume 32 Issue 9 Pages 669-676
Organic acid and free amino acid compositions affecting for processing of "Mume" fruit (Prunus mume SIEB. et ZUCC.) were analyzed in relation to variety or growth and developement of fruit portions. Results obtained are as follows: (1) Organic acid and free amino acid contents changed conspicuously with fruit growth and development. (2) Total free organic acid contents of fruit flesh in all 26 varieties varied from 4.2 to 5.5% at the end of three stages of harvest maturity. (3) The organic acids of the fruit flesh were citric, malic, oxalic, succinic, fumaric and three kinds of unknown acids. And their contents were quite different among variety or harvest maturity. Citric acid and malic acid was predominant acid in common types or apricot types of "Mume" fruit at the end of harvest maturity, respectively. (4) Free amino acids in the fruit flesh increased with fruit growth, followed by decrease after optimum picking time. But in the stony endocarp and kernel, amino acid content decreased gradually with fruit growth and their hardening. (5) Twenty or 22 amino acids were detected in all fruit portions of flesh, stony endocarp and kernel, and asparagine accounted for 80-91% in flesh at all stages of maturity. Stony endocarp and kernel contained much more arginine, serine, glutamic acid, glutamine and alanine than fruit flesh, causing decrease in the percentage of asparagine content to 66-67% in stony endocarp and 33-35% in kernel at the end of harvest maturity. (6) Free amino acid contents in the main three varieties did not change appreciably throughout the optimum picking time.
