Investigating the Sensory, Nutritional, and Volatile Properties of Two Local Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) Cultivars...

The antioxidant activity, sensory profile, and volatile composition of two native cherry cultivars grown in the Celleno area of central Italy were studied for the first time. This was done to assess the potential for valorizing this product, both for its excellent flavor and its potential as a source of bioactive compounds. The two cultivars stood out for their complex aromas, each with distinct descriptive notes. The "Ravenna a gambo lungo" cherry exhibited high levels of cherry (9.08 ± 0.53), apple (1.95 ± 0.50), and floral (3.43 ± 1.01) aromas, as well as high aromatic intensity (9.09 ± 0.34). On the other hand, the "Graffione" cherries showed higher sweetness (8.48 ± 0.55) and a plum aroma (9.05 ± 0.53). Despite the fact that both cultivars under scrutiny received elevated scores in the overall judgment, the "Ravenna a gambo lungo" cultivar achieved a higher score (9.07 ± 0.52) than the "Graffione" cultivar (8.05 ± 0.50). No significant differences were found between the two samples in terms of antioxidant activity. Both samples exhibited high antioxidant capacity, equivalent to TPC (3.27 and 3.26 mg GAE/g for "Ravenna a gambo lungo" and "Graffione," respectively), ABTS^•+ (1.20 and 1.25 mmol TE/g for "Ravenna a gambo lungo" and "Graffione," respectively) and FRAP (2.26 and 2.14 mmol Fe²⁺/g for "Ravenna a gambo lungo" and "Graffione," respectively), rendering them nutritionally valuable. Significant differences were also detected between the two cherry samples analyzed in terms of volatile compounds. The main volatiles in "Ravenna a gambo lungo" cherries were trans-2-hexenol (38.9%), decanal (22.1%), nonanal (8.9%), benzaldehyde (7.5%), and cis-geranyl acetate (6.3%). In "Graffione," the most abundant volatiles were linalool (24.7%) and hexanal (16.4%).