Phenolic profiling reveals the metabolite basis of flesh colour and fresh‐cut browning in apple fruit

Summary Flesh colour, which is affected by cultivars and browning, can largely impact consumer acceptance in fresh‐cut apples. The study profiled phenolic metabolites from apple flesh of twenty‐three cultivars by widely targeted metabolomics. Comparison among white‐ and yellow‐fleshed cultivars showed fifteen phenolics, mainly quercetin 3‐O‐glucoside, hyperoside, hesperetin 5‐O‐glucoside and cymaroside, in white‐fleshed apples were significantly higher than those in yellow‐fleshed apples. It may indicate a metabolite basis of yellow and white flesh colour, and better potential nutrition in white‐fleshed apples. In addition, ten phenolic metabolites including five cyanidin glycosides showed significant differences between the highest and the lowest browning groups, indicating them may be crucial in browning of fresh‐cut apple. This work elucidates the differences of phenolic profiles among apple cultivars with different flesh colour and provides useful data to evaluate the suitability of apple for fresh‐cut processing.