The aim of this study was to compare the aromatic profile of plum spirits, obtained from the Požegača and Stanley varieties, as affected by different combinations of pre-distillation steps used in traditional and six modified production methods that are common in Serbian distilleries. Traditional plum spirits (produced from spontaneously fermented mashes of crushed plums with stones distilled after two months of storage) had the highest contents of ethyl acetate, benzaldehyde, and total acids, which resulted in the occurrence of an unpleasant solvent-like and stone-like odour and acidic taste. These sensory defects were overcome by the distillation of fermented mashes immediately after the completion of alcoholic fermentation. Depending on the combination of the pre-distillation steps, plum spirits from mashes distilled immediately after alcoholic fermentation were characterized by different aromatic profiles: closer to traditional (from spontaneously fermented crushed plums with/without stones) or with a more pronounced fruity character (from pulped plums without stones regardless of the way of fermentation). These differences in aroma profiles have arisen mostly because of the significantly different contents and OAVs of ethyl esters and volatile fatty acids. The appropriate combination of the pre-distillation steps, which is adapted to the variety, can significantly improve the quality of the plum spirit compared to the traditionally produced spirit.

In order to preserve the quality of apple fruit, it is crucial to choose the most suitable storage technology. Nevertheless, it is also important to maintain the quality of apples during the shelf life period. In this study, changes in various biochemical quality parameters of ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Idared’ apples during a prolonged shelf life period, after conventional normal atmosphere (NA) and ultra-low oxygen (ULO) storage, were investigated. After the harvest, the fruit of examined cultivars were stored in two atmospheres for six months. Weight loss, changes in content of sugars, organic acids, total phenols, total flavonoids, pectic fractions, and antioxidant capacity were monitored. Samples were evaluated immediately after removal from the cold chambers and after 10 and 20 days of shelf life at 20 °C. ‘Golden Delicious’ apples stored in ULO exhibited better qualitative characteristics during 20 days of shelf life compared with apples of the same cultivar stored in NA. However, evaluated traits in ‘Idared’ apples from NA chambers were of higher quality in comparison with ‘Idared’ apples stored in the ULO atmosphere.

Aim of study: To investigate the changes in chemical composition of fresh plum fruits cv. ‘Čačanska Lepotica’ prompted by the presence of various strains of plum pox virus (PPV). Area of study: Serbia Material and methods: In an experimental orchard of ‘Čačanska Lepotica’ plum cultivar, fruits were picked from virus-free and PPV-infected trees (PPV-D and PPV-Rec strains) in four harvest stages in 2017 and 2018. Fruits were further analyzed on total phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, antioxidant capacity and selected phenolics. Main results: The results indicate that virus infection causes chemical changes to a certain extent, but mostly in initial harvest stages, while the values are equal in later stages. In the last harvest stage, as the most utilizable in commercial purposes, only chlorogenic acid content was affected in 2017, while in 2018 contents of neochlorogenic acid and chrysanthemin were altered by the PPV infection. Total contents of flavonoids and phenolics revealed no influence of virus infection during both 2017 and 2018, while PPV-Rec infected samples were richer in anthocyanins under heavy rainfall during summer months of 2018. Given the number of identified compounds (10) and the vast experimental data, it might be concluded that influence of PPV infection on chemical composition of ‘Čačanska Lepotica’ plum fruits was quite limited. Research highlights: Plum cultivar ‘Čačanska Lepotica’ should be considered as highly tolerant cultivar to PPV, and can be grown in heavily infected environment with no risk. Therefore, it might be a great replacement for sensitive plum cultivars, such as ‘Požegača’ and ‘Čačanska Rodna’.

Raspberry leaf blotch emaravirus (RLBV) has become established in many Serbian raspberry orchards as the most prevalent virus of raspberries in the country. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of RLBV on the red raspberry ?Willamette? variety. A trial was conducted in four raspberry orchards located in Western Serbia. Fruits from RLBVinfected and uninfected canes were analyzed for fruit size (fruit length, width, height, shape, and weight), soluble solids content, pH, titratable acidity, total sugars, and total phenolic and anthocyanin contents. The results of the study confirmed that RLBV significantly decreases fruit size and weight (9.15-27.49%) of ?Willamette? fruits. Soluble solids content was higher in infected fruits (1.55-7.39%), but the increase was not significant. RLBV did not cause significant changes in titratable acidity of raspberry juice, pH or total sugars content. Total phenolic and anthocyanin contents were higher in fruits of RLBV-infected plants in two out of four locations.

ISHS II International Symposium on Horticulture in Europe CHEMICAL AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF FULLY MATURED RASPBERRY FRUITS (RUBUS IDAEUS L.) PICKED IN DIFFERENT MOMENTS OF HARVESTING SEASON

Volatile compounds of plum spirit have a decisive influence on its quality and are closely related to the method of production. In this paper, minor and major volatile of plum spirits produced in small artisanal distilleries of Montenegro, obtained by two batch distillation techniques traditionally used (single and double distillation in alembic of the same construction) were analysed by GC-FID and GC-FID?MS methods. All plum spirits contained all 8 major volatile compounds analysed by GC-FID method, but out of a total of 138 minor aromatic compounds detected, only 32 are common to all samples. Wide ranges of concentrations of most volatile compounds indicated the great heterogeneity of plum spirit production methods in Montenegro, included, among others, two different distillation techniques. ?h? princip?l c?mp?n?nt analysis have shown that differentiation of plum spirits obtained by single or double batch distillation is not possible using the all compounds analysed by GC-FID or GC-FID?MS, as well as compounds belonging the same chemical class, but rather based on the content of the volatile compounds typical for batch distillation tail fraction.