From valley to mountain: Organoleptic and nutritional properties of apple accessions from Northeast Spain
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Date
2026-03-17
Authors
Mignard, PierreCantín Mardones, Celia María
Castel Duaso, Lourdes
Pina Sobrino, Ana
González Buesa, Jaime
Errea Abad, María Pilar
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Elsevier BV
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artículo originalAbstract
Local apple accessions are vital for their adaptability to specific climates and unique organoleptic characteristics, playing a key role in biodiversity conservation and agricultural resilience. This study examined 36 apple genotypes from the CITA collection, including 25 diploid and 11 triploid varieties distributed across five altitudes in northeastern (NE) Spain. The collection encompassed both autochthonous landraces and non-Spanish commercial cultivars. The analysis focused on physicochemical attributes such as fruit firmness, total phenolic content (TPC), and individual sugars. Among these six genotypes (five autochthonous landraces and one commercial cultivar used as reference [‘Gala’]), were present at two different altitudes within the CITA collection and were further evaluated to assess the influence of altitude elevation on these traits. Significant variability in fruit quality was observed, with notable correlations between physicochemical traits. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 50.2% of the total variance, highlighting genetic variability among the accessions and its impact on fruit traits. The results showed that ploidy (diploid/triploid) and origin (autochthonous/commercial - non-Spanish) are key factors shaping apple characteristics. Higher altitudes were associated with increased TPC in specific accessions, likely due to cooler temperatures and greater UV and sun exposure enhancing phenolic biosynthesis. Fructose content also increased with altitude, reflecting slower fruit development and ripening, while variations in glucose and sucrose indicated the complexity of metabolic responses to both altitude and genetic factors. These findings demonstrate the high biodiversity of apples from NE Spain, particularly in terms of their organoleptic and nutritional qualities. Preserving autochthonous apple resources is essential, and breeding programs could benefit from selecting accessions with desirable biochemical traits for local climatic conditions. Additional research is needed to explore how environmental factors influence the health benefits of apples, especially their bioactive compounds, as well as their agronomic performance.
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Bibliographic citation
Mignard, P., Cantín, C. M., Castel, L., Pina, A., Gonzalez, J., & Errea, P. (2026). From valley to mountain: Organoleptic and nutritional properties of apple accessions from Northeast Spain. Scientia Horticulturae, 358, 114739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2026.114739
AGROVOC subjects
AgrobiodiversidadCalidad del producto
Malus domestica
Compuesto fenólico
Sugar content
Sponsorship
Esta investigación ha contado con el apoyo de las subvenciones RTA2015–00052-C02–00 del Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), el Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España (Programa AEI) y el Gobierno de Aragón (España).