IMPACT OF PEEL COLORATION ON INTERNAL QUALITY OF KINNOW MANDARIN (Citrus nobilis Lour x Citrus deliciosa Tenora) AT EARLY RIPENING STAGE

At earlier maturation, Kinnow mandarin color-break fruits were analyzed for internal quality. Ten fruits were harvested from dark green to fully red or yellow colored at field on visual observation and arranged in order of dark green to deep red or yellow through Chroma meter after being numbered as 1 to 10. Three aliquots were analyzed as per replicate. In red colored fruits juice, a decreasing trend of titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and total soluble salts were found with increasing pattern of sugars, total soluble solid and pH. Similarly in peel, low chlorophyll contents and highest carotenoids were recorded in red colored fruits. Total phenolic contents in juice were similar with declining trend in peel from green to red colored fruits. In juice both flavonoids and flavonols were constant but in peel flavonols increase were noted in red colored fruits. Total anthocyanins exhibited an increasing trend in red colored fruit for both, the peel and juice. Antioxidant activity was increased in juice and decreased in peel for red colored fruits. Nutritional values of green color peel fruits are alike those of red colored, but with reduced sugars, and sweetness were duly noted regarding their domestic consumers acceptance. Green color fruits have more ascorbic acid, polyphenols and reducing sugars are equally valuable like red colored Kinnow, thus both types are of Kinnow are best for the purpose of export