Skin Color in Apples—Influence of Copigmentation and Plastid Pigments on Shade and Darkness of Red Color in Five Genotypes

Abstract

The biochemical and cytological mechanisms responsible for the differences in red color quality of apples (Malus domestics Borkh.) were investigated. Copigmentation, the increase in absorbance maxima (λ max) from anthocyanin and flavonoid interactions, is known to be a mechanism for producing variation in shade of red in flowers. In intact apple skin cells, the mean λ max was 550 nm, with no significant difference between genotypes. Furthermore, the ratio of flavonols and proanthocyanidins to anthocyanins was similar for all genotypes. Therefore, copigmentation is not a mechanism producing different shades of red in apples. Darkness of red skin was positively related to the proportion of red cells in the skin and the size of the vacuoles containing anthocyanins. Measurements of plastid pigments, chlorophyll, and carotenoids, compared with L*, a*, b* measurements, indicated that the visual blending of plastid pigments and anthocyanins has an important influence on red coloration of apple skin.