Analysis of Nutrient and Heavy Metal Contents of Historical Apple Varieties Growing in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye

Abstract

Apple’s rising popularity among consumers can be attributed to its delightful taste and rich nutritional value. Nonetheless, little is known about the interrelationships between soil, leaf, and fruit pulp minerals. In this investigation, the mineral property relationships between the soils, leaf and fruit pulp of local cultivars were evaluated by correlation analysis. The soil exhibited a texture ranging from sandy loam, with a very low organic matter content. Mineral contents were higher in the leaves compared to the fruit pulp. While macro elements were determined in high amounts, the amounts of iron and zinc from micro elements were insufficient and the amount of manganese was found to be low. While the amount of potassium was determined to be highest in the leaf in ‘Cebe girmez’ cultivar (23,787 ppm), it was determined to be lowest in the fruit in ‘Bey elması’ cultivar (18,437 ppm). Heavy metals content remained within acceptable limits, the ‘Aslik’ cultivar exhibiting the highest compared to others. In the fruit, the highest Pb (6.79 ppm) and Cd (0.41 ppm) amounts were determined in ‘Aslik’ cultivar and the lowest Se amount (0.38 ppm) was determined in ‘Bey elması’ cultivar. Positive correlations were established between mineral elements found in fruit pulp and leaf. This information will be useful for the exploitation of apple resources and for developing appropriate new cultivars to sustain fruit quality.