Cultivar-Dependent Thermal Flesh Breakdown in Apple Associated with Cell Wall Polysaccharide Modification, with...

Heat-induced softening of apple fruit varies markedly among cultivars; however, the biochemical factors underlying these differences remain incompletely understood. This study investigated the relationship between cell wall modifications and thermal flesh breakdown in three apple cultivars ('Bramley's Seedling', 'Fuji', and 'Toki'). Fruit flesh samples were heated under controlled conditions and analyzed for changes in texture properties, cell structure, cell wall composition, and molar mass distribution. Heating increased water-soluble pectin in all cultivars, with a markedly greater increase in 'Bramley's Seedling', indicating pronounced pectin solubilization during thermal treatment. A pronounced shift from high- to low-molar-weight polymers in the Na₂CO₃-soluble fraction was also observed only in 'Bramley's Seedling', suggesting extensive depolymerization of the Na₂CO₃-soluble pectic polymers. A decrease in hemicellulose and cellulose content following heating was observed exclusively in 'Bramley's Seedling'. Consistently, this cultivar exhibited significantly lower gumminess and chewiness compared with the other cultivars. Beyond compositional changes, 'Bramley's Seedling' exhibited severe tissue disintegration and distinctive rheological behavior indicative of extensive cell rupture. In contrast, 'Fuji' and 'Toki' retained relatively stable cell wall structures and maintained tissue integrity after heating. These findings suggest that cultivar-dependent disassembly of cell wall polysaccharides, particularly pectin depolymerization and solubilization, is strongly associated with heat-induced tissue breakdown.