Impact of the harvest year of three cultivars of Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) on the oil content and its composition

The impact of the harvest year of three cultivars ('Rando', 'Darius' and 'Rasa') of Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) on the seed oil content and its composition (fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols and squalene) were studied. All three tested cultivars responded similarly to variable abiotic factors in different years. In most cases, the harvest year and cultivar had a significant impact (p < 0.05) on the obtained oil content from the Japanese quince seed, as well as its chemical composition. The levels of two main fatty acids (C18:1 and C18:2) can be strongly associated with the temperature during August. While the concentration of squalene and phytosterols seems to be strongly related to each other in subsequent harvest years for each cultivar, most probably due to the biosynthesis pathway of both compounds. Despite the influence of both factors (harvest year and cultivar), the observed differences in levels of oil and its composition were within 10-50 %; such information that may be used as stable descriptors of product quality to guide decisions on potential industrial applications.

Automated summary

The study investigated the impact of different harvest years on the seed oil content and composition of Japanese quince, finding significant effects of harvest year and cultivar on oil content and chemical composition. Main fatty acid levels were closely related to temperature in August, while squalene and phytosterols concentrations appeared strongly linked in subsequent harvest years for each cultivar.