Different phenotypes of plum cultivars due to specific phenolic profiles

Anthocyanins contribute significantly to the attractive pigmentation of red and blue plums (Prunus domestica L.). As the pigmentation of blue-skinned cultivars seems to be heterozygote, crossing among them could produce yellow-skinned descendants. Yellow skinned plums like Mirabelles and several Reineclaudes do usually not accumulate anthocyanidins in the skin. Is there a general correlation between the biosynthesis of anthocyanidins and the total phenolic content? Do yellow-skinned fruits have less phenolics and are therefore less healthy? To find correlations between the contents of the flavonoid subgroups with the total phenolic content we analysed the phenolic patterns of juices from plum cultivars with yellow and blue fruit skins by HPLC analysis. With a fast screening method by sample preparation with solid-phase extraction SPE, breeders can routinely search for appropriate donor genotypes for yellow-skinned plums with high concentrations of health benefiting phenolic compounds at the same time.