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Acta Horticulturae Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (9): 2693-2707.doi: 10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0927

• Cultivation · Physiology & Biochemistry • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of Organic Acid Accumulation Characteristics and Associated Metabolic Enzyme Activities in the Pericarp and Pulp of two Cerasus humilis Cultivars with Different Acidity Levels

GUO Bingcheng1, ZHANG Fei2, ZHANG Li1, GUO Jinli1,*()   

  1. 1 College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010010, China
    2 Industry Revitalization Office of the People’s Government of Xuejiawan Town, Jungar Banner,Erdos, Inner Mongolia 010300, China
  • Received:2025-11-24 Revised:2026-05-28 Online:2026-09-20 Published:2026-09-20
  • Contact: GUO Jinli

Abstract:

Fruits of two Cerasus humilis with varying acidity levels were used to investigate the dynamics of organic acid composition and the activity of related metabolic enzymes in the pericarp and pulp during development. The results showed that in both cultivars quinic and oxalic acids were the predominant organic acids in both tissues at early developmental stages,which subsequently shifted to malic acid dominance. The contents of malic,acetic,and citric acids,as well as total acidity,increased initially,peaking during the coloring/enlargement or hard ripening stages,before declining. In contrast,the levels of quinic,oxalic,and lactic acids decreased continuously throughout fruit development. At maturity,the pericarp contained higher concentrations of malic acid,quinic acid,oxalic acid,and total acid than the pulp. Malic acid was the most abundant organic acid,accounting for over 50% of the total acidity in both tissues and constituting the primary factor responsible for the acidity difference between pericarp and pulp. The overall acidity difference between high- and low-acid cultivars was attributed to variations in the contents of both malic acid and quinic acid. The malic acid content in C. humilis was regulated by the activities of NAD-malate dehydrogenase(NAD-MDH)and NADP-malic enzyme(NADP-ME). Significant differences in the activities of these enzymes were observed between the pericarp and pulp,as well as between high- and low-acid types. NAD-MDH and PEPC promoted malic acid accumulation,whereas NADP-ME facilitated its degradation. In this study,the difference in NAD-MDH activity was identified as the key enzymatic factor affecting the disparity in malic acid content between the pericarp and pulp,while the level of NADP-ME activity was the primary factor determining the difference in acidity between the two types of superior C. humilis strains.

Key words: Cerasus humilis, fruit pericarp, fruit pulp, organic acid metabolism

CLC Number: