HS-SPME-GC–MS Volatile Profile Characterization of Peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) Varieties Grown in the Eastern Balkan Peninsula

The volatile compounds of eight peach varieties (Prunus persica L.)—“Filina”, “Gergana”, “Ufo-4”, “July lady”, “Laskava”, “Flat Queen”, “Evmolpiya”, and “Morsiani 90”—growing in Bulgaria were analyzed for the first time. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis and the HS-SPME technique revealed the presence of 65 volatile compounds; the main identified components were aldehydes, esters, and fatty acids. According to the provided principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), the relative quantities of the identified volatile compounds depended on the studied peach variety. The results obtained could be successfully applied for the metabolic chemotaxonomy of peaches.

Population Structure and Phylogeny of Some U.S. Peach Cultivars

Peach (Prunus persica) cultivars maintained at the U.S. Department of Agriculture program at Byron, GA, have never been characterized with any molecular markers. In this study, 20 microsatellite markers were used to genotype 112 cultivars and the data were analyzed to discern their population structure and phylogenetic relationships. STRUCTURE simulations revealed four K clusters and broad genetic admixture among the cultivars. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed the cultivar groups from western, northeastern, and southeastern U.S. states were adjacent to each other except cultivars from Michigan (close to most southeastern state groups) and Florida (most distant from the other groups). Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that these cultivars had no obvious PCA partitioning boundaries. The intertwined distribution in both PCoA and PCA partitions suggested many of them were genetically closely related to each other largely because most shared same ancestral parentages. Most pairwise distance means within and between the cultivar groups were relatively low, suggesting close phylogenetic relations among those cultivars, as were demonstrated in the phylogenetic tree. Limiting factors and perspectives relevant to peach breeding are discussed.

Determination of Selected Beneficial Substances in Peach Fruits

Peaches (Prunus persica L.) are a popular and sought-after dessert fruit. This is mainly due to their flavour, aroma, attractive appearance, and high content of substances that play an important role in human nutrition. The present study was carried out to determine some important analytical properties (sugars/sucrose, glucose, fructose and sorbitol), total acid, total phenolics, flavonoids, antioxidant capacity, carotenoids and anthocyanins of 34 selected peach varieties. The analyses are also complemented by colorimetric measurements of peach skin colour using CIELAB and other chromatic parameters. The results show, for example, that all peach varieties are good sources of phenolic compounds (9.43–577 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE).100 g−1), flavonoids (1.12–95.1 mg catechin equivalent (CAE).100 g−1), and antioxidant capacity (136–462 mg Trolox equivalent (TE).100 g−1).

Pharmacological Importance of Peach Gum Polysaccharide: A Review

Background: Peach gum is a natural gum exudate secreted from a peach tree (Prunus persica) from a process known as physiological gummosis. Peach gum is a natural biopolymer that is composed of acidic polysaccharides with a high percentage of arabinose and galactose subunit, which classifies it as an arabinogalactan. Objectives: This review summarizes the compositions, chemical structures, physical properties, biological properties of peach gum, and its potential biotechnological applications. Method: Literature search was performed using Google Scholar using keywords such as Peach Gum, Prunus persica. Only articles written in English and articles with downloadable full-texts were included in this review. Results: Peach gum polysaccharides possess antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-diabetic, and hypolipidemic properties. Excellent emulsification properties of PGP show it has potential to be employed as a food-grade emulsifier. Conclusion: PGP exhibits excellent emulsification, antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-diabetic and hypolipidemic properties. As plastic pollution has become an alarming global issue, PGP could be a promising edible raw material in the field of bioplastic research and development.