Composition and morphology of cuticular wax in blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) fruits

Wenjing Chu; Haiyan Gao; Shifeng Cao; Xiangjun Fang; Hangjun Chen; Shangyue Xiao

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.09.186

Composition and morphology of cuticular wax in blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) fruits

Food Chem. 2017 Mar 15:219:436-442. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.09.186. Epub 2016 Sep 29.

Authors

Wenjing Chu¹, Haiyan Gao², Shifeng Cao³, Xiangjun Fang⁴, Hangjun Chen⁴, Shangyue Xiao⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Science, Hangzhou 310021, China; College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; College of Life and Environment Sciences, Huangshan University, Huangshan 245041, China.
² Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Science, Hangzhou 310021, China; College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China. Electronic address: spsghy@163.com.
³ Nanjing Research Institute for Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing 210014, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Fruits and Vegetables Postharvest and Processing Technology Research of Zhejiang Province, Food Science Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Science, Hangzhou 310021, China.

PMID: 27765249
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.09.186

Abstract

The chemical composition and morphology of cuticular wax in mature fruit of nine blueberry cultivars were investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Triterpenoids and β-diketones were the most prominent compounds, accounting for on average 64.2% and 16.4% of the total wax, respectively. Ursolic or oleanolic acid was identified as the most abundant triterpenoids differing in cultivars. Two β-diketones, hentriacontan-10,12-dione and tritriacontan-12,14-dione, were detected in cuticular wax of blueberry fruits for the first time. Notably, hentriacontan-10,12-dione and tritriacontan-12,14-dione were only detected in highbush (V. corymbosum) and rabbiteye (V. ashei) blueberries, respectively. The results of SEM showed that a large amount of tubular wax deposited on the surface of blueberry fruits. There was no apparent difference in wax morphology among the nine cultivars.

Keywords: Blueberries; Chemical composition; Cuticular wax; GC–MS; Morphology; SEM.

MeSH terms

Blueberry Plants / chemistry*
Fruit / chemistry*
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry