Effect of cultivar and fruit storage on basic composition of clear and cloudy pear juices

Background: Pears due to low acidity are a suitable raw material for the production of multifruit nectars thus it is justified to determine the chemical composition and investigate the effect of cultivar and fruit maturity on juices quality. Methods: Juices from 'Alexander Lucas' and 'Conference' cultivars were produced after harvest and after 3 months of pears storage. Results: Average yield of clear juices was 76.4% for 'Conference' cultivar and 74.3% for 'Alexander Lucas'. In the case of cloudy juices, the yield was lower by about 3%. Processing of 'Conference' cv, from stored fruit resulted in yield decrease compared to fruits after harvest; this was not in case of 'Alexander Lucas' in 2008, where juices produced from stored fruits were characterized by a higher yield compared to fresh fruit. Total solids content in clear juices was 125-135 g/L and 135-141 g/L for cloudy juices. ABTS(.+) and total phenolics analysis showed that cloudy juices were characterized by a higher antioxidant activity and phenolics content than the clear ones. Conclusion: Pear storage, on the contrary to apples, does not decrease their suitability for cloudy juice production. Cloudy juices as a rule have higher antioxidant activity than the clear ones. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.