Mediterranean Wild Pear Fruits as a Neglected but Valuable Source of Phenolic Compounds

Maria Giovanna Molinu, Federico Sanna, Guy D’hallewin, Giovanni Antonio Re, Leonardo Sulas () and Giovanna Piluzza
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Maria Giovanna Molinu: National Research Council, Institute of Sciences of Food Production, Traversa La Crucca 3, Località Baldinca, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Federico Sanna: National Research Council, Institute for the Animal Production System in Mediterranean Environment, Traversa La Crucca 3, Località Baldinca, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Guy D’hallewin: National Research Council, Institute of Sciences of Food Production, Traversa La Crucca 3, Località Baldinca, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Giovanni Antonio Re: National Research Council, Institute for the Animal Production System in Mediterranean Environment, Traversa La Crucca 3, Località Baldinca, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Leonardo Sulas: National Research Council, Institute for the Animal Production System in Mediterranean Environment, Traversa La Crucca 3, Località Baldinca, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Giovanna Piluzza: National Research Council, Institute for the Animal Production System in Mediterranean Environment, Traversa La Crucca 3, Località Baldinca, 07100 Sassari, Italy

Resources, 2024, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-20

Abstract: The genus Pyrus has a long history in Sardinia (Italy), where two wild pear species ( P. spinosa Forssk. and P. pyraster (L.) Burgsd.) and Pyrus communis L. cultivars are extensively distributed. Even if neglected, these taxa represent well-adapted key resources for redesigning sustainable farming systems. This report aims at shedding light on the phenolic fingerprint and antioxidant properties of wild pear fruits and comparing their traits with those of the studied pear cultivar germplasm (PCG). Fruits of wild pear species were collected, and flesh, peel, and core subsamples were analyzed. Moreover, available data from previous research on PCG were analyzed. The contents of total phenolics (TotP), total flavonoids (TotF), and condensed tannins (CT), as well as the antioxidant capacity, were similar in the flesh of the two wild species. However, P. spinosa had significantly higher values of TotP (89 g GAE kg −1 DM) and CT (33 g DE kg −1 DM) in the peel. Eleven individual phenolic compounds were identified and quantified in the fruit flesh, 14 in both peel and core. For both wild species, arbutin and chlorogenic acid were the main phenolic compounds, followed by the quercetin glycosides. Comparing the antioxidant capacity and TotF fruit flesh values of wild pears with those of PCG, the latter resulted up to 15-fold lower. The wild types showed unique metabolite profiles. Results support novel insights on the phytochemicals of wild pear fruits.

Keywords: Pyrus spinosa; P. pyraster; peel; core; flesh; bioactive compounds; arbutin; chlorogenic acid; isorhamnetin derivative; PCA (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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