Chemical Quality Attributes, Phenolic Compounds, and Antioxidant Properties of Wild and Cultivated Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Accessions of North-Western Himalayas

In this study, the chemical quality attributes, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity of 37 wild and cultivated apricot accessions were assessed. Apricots were collected from various locations in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Significant variation was recorded among the accessions in terms of the chemical quality attributes of total soluble solids (7.53–28.01°Brix), pH (1.14–4.06), and titratable acidity (0.260–2.14%). Catechin, epicatechin, and quercetin were the predominant phenolic compounds. Moreover, the currently studied apricot accessions presented a wide range of antioxidant capacity values, ranging from 21.27 to 92.22 μg ascorbic acid (ASA) g−1 fresh weight (FW). Statistical analysis revealed a positive correlation between phenolic components and antioxidant activity, whereas a negative correlation was observed between pH and catechin, epicatechin, antioxidant capacity, and total soluble solids (TSS). Based on principal component and cluster analyses using all measured variables, wild accessions were clearly distinguished from cultivated accessions. The present findings show that wild accessions had the highest fruit quality attributes, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacities. As little information is available on the chemical quality attributes, phenolic compounds, and antioxidants of wild and cultivated apricot accessions of Jammu and Kashmir, the information provided here will be useful for the identification of superior apricot accessions with the potential to contribute to health promotion and illness prevention as well as for future apricot breeding programs.