Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit sensory quality includes textural characteristics, taste (non-volatile compounds), and aroma (volatile), with texture and taste directly linking to consumer acceptance. Limited studies have been conducted to investigate the variation of flavor profiles in F2 cucumber fruit. This study aimed to analyze the variation of texture and taste-related traits of cucumber using an F2 population derived from the cross between two cucumber varieties (9930Q2-1 and W17633) with contrasting flavor attributes. Fruit hardness was evaluated using a texture analyzer among 165 F2 plants which showed a wide variation from 1.34 to 57.26 N and an average hardness of 31.78 N. Fruit pH, TA, and °Brix of 165 F2 plants were measured with a Titrando and a digital refractometer. The F2 progenies had pH ranging 6.02-7.73 (mean value 5.67), TA ranging 0.15%-0.47% (mean=0.26%), and °Brix ranging 1.7-5.7 (mean=2.8). The content of total polyphenols (associated with bitterness and astringency) ranged 6.93-33.58 mg/100 g GAE (Gallic acid equivalent), with an average 19.07 mg/100 g GAE. All the four traits exhibited a largely normal distribution in the F2, suggesting their quantitative nature of inheritance. Two parents and one F1 fruit contained a significant difference of these chemical composition, according to the agglomerative hierarchical clustering analysis. The selection of patents provide potential wide distribution of flavor traits in F2 cucumber populations. This work provides novel insights into the inheritance of attributes contributed to cucumber fruit flavor that may help understanding of their genetic basis and improvement of cucumber fruit quality through molecular breeding.

Quantitative variation of taste and texture properties in 165 F2 cucumber progenies

ACS Spring 2022

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