Fatty Acid Profile of Table Grapes: Impact of Cultivar and Fruit Protection on Saturated, Monounsaturated, and...

Pre-harvest bagging protects table grapes from environmental stress, yet its interannual impact on the plant fatty acid profile remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the fatty acid profile and Atherogenicity Index (AI) and Thrombogenicity Index (TI) as health indices of three traditional cultivars ("Doña María", "Dominga", "Aledo"). Grapes were cultivated under bagged and unbagged conditions over two consecutive seasons characterized by contrasting thermal stress, and their lipid extracts were evaluated using gas chromatography and multivariate statistical tools. The analytical results revealed a profile predominantly composed of polyunsaturated fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid. Both genotype and protective bagging significantly modulated lipid accumulation. Uniquely, the extreme heatwave of the second season triggered a profound lipid remodeling, increasing the total polyunsaturated fraction by over 40% in "Doña María" as a putative adaptive response to maintain membrane fluidity. Nutritionally, all cultivars demonstrated exceptional cardioprotective potential, recording atherogenicity indices below 0.11. These findings provide novel insights into the resilience of table grapes, validating them as a robust source of functional lipids. Furthermore, tracking this lipid remodeling offers the agricultural industry a sensitive biochemical tool to optimize protective strategies and ensure crop quality under increasing climate volatility.