Local apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) cultivars with tolerance to environmental stress factors must be re-evaluated. While the cultivation of apple trees has a long-standing tradition in Hungary, only a handful of cultivars are produced on a large scale, reflecting a trend in global apple production. The most commonly cultivated apple cultivars worldwide include ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Red Delicious’, ‘Gala’, ‘Fuji’, and ‘Granny Smith’ (with ‘Jonagold’ and ‘Idared’ being significant in Europe). As a result, genetic diversity among apple cultivars has decreased significantly, which has increased the risk of epidemics if a new pathogen appears. Nonetheless, old and local apple cultivars of the Carpathian Basin have adapted well to Hungarian environmental stress factors and pathogens and seem tolerant to them. In this study, fruit analyses and consumer evaluations of eighteen old, local apple cultivars were conducted. Various physicochemical parameters, such as fruit mass, firmness, total soluble solid content, and total acid content, as well as the content of some biological active compounds, including polyphenol content, antioxidant capacity (FRAP), and pectin content, were determined. Additionally, a consumer evaluation was carried out. Based on the results, most of the old, local apple cultivars exhibit high fruit quality and offer considerable health benefits. The proportion of biologically active compounds in these cultivars is equal to or higher than that in the reference cultivar ‘Watson Jonathan’. Based on the excellent fruit quality and consumer preferences, the ‘Harang alma’ (an attractive fruit exhibiting high FRAP values) and ‘Marosszéki piros’ (with firm flesh and a high pectin content and being particularly tasty) cultivars are recommended for backyard gardens.

The sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) is an important fruit species in Eastern Europe due to its multiple uses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ripening-stage-dependent compositional changes in some Hungarian-bred sour cherry varieties (“amarelle” type ‘Korai pipacs’, “morello” types ‘Érdi bőtermő’ and ‘Újfehértói fürtös’), with a special view on biologically active compounds (anthocyanins, polyphenols, vitamin C, melatonin), organic acids, sugars, and antioxidant characteristics. The measured soluble solid content varied within a narrower range than reported in the literature, whereas the total acid content and soluble solid content were consistent with previous data. As the analyses were based on samples from a single year (2022), potential year-to-year variability should be considered when interpreting the results. The “morello” type varieties reached a higher amount of different sugar compounds than the “amarelle” type variety. Among the examined organic acid compounds, malic acid was detected in the highest quantity (176.75 to 669.44 mg 100 mL⁻¹). The vitamin C data (5.74 to 13.46 mg 100 mL⁻¹) had similarity to the literature data. The “amarelle” type ‘Korai pipacs’ reached the highest antioxidant content (131.11 mM AS L⁻¹) in the third picking time. Among the naturally occurring pigments the “morello” type, straining sour cherries reached a higher amount (113.71 µg mL⁻¹ in ‘Érdi bőtermő’ and 59.4 µg mL⁻¹ in ‘Újfehértói fürtös’ of cyanidin glucosides), than the observed “amarelle” type (23.42 µg mL⁻¹ in ‘Korai pipacs’ of cyanidin glucosides). Melatonin was detected in all examined varieties (1.56 to 13.25 ng mL⁻¹).