Abstract: Sugar and acid components in ap ricot were studied with 10 cultivated varieties by Capillary Electrophoresis, as well as the changes of sugar and acid componentswith two cultivated varieties during fruit development. The results indicated that there were great differences in the contents of components and total sugar among apricot varieties, whereas their distributions were similar, that was the level of sucrose was the highest and the lowest for fructose in all tested varieties. Contrasting to sugar, both total acid and components were different greatly among varieties. According to the components of acid, the apricot varieties could be divided into two types: citrate and malate. Changes of components and total content of sugar were almost similar in‘Xinshiji’and ‘Katy’varieties at different fruit development stages, the level of sucrose and total sugar increased constantly, whereas the content of fructose and glucose kep t relatively steady, which indicated the increasing of total content of sugar was caused by sucrose. The change patterns of the content of total acid and
componentswere different obviously in two varieties, but the change of malate and total acid was completely similar in‘Xinshiji’. Malate content increased slowly at higher level, whereas the level of citrate was lower during fruit development. The level of citrate at early development stage was lower than at later development stage, increasing rap idly while stoning finished and decreasing slightly during fruit maturation. The changing pattern showed “S”curve, contrast to citrate, the change of malate showed a reverse “S”curve.

Key words: Apricot, Fruit, Sugar, Organic acid, Development stage