Biochemical discrimination and market-oriented qualitative traits of a 24 lemon cultivar collection

Lemon [Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.] is an important species cultivated in several citrus-producing countries. Lemon fruits are usually used for fresh consumption and for processed juice due to their excellent nutraceutical properties attributed to their high levels of bioactive compounds, mainly specialized (secondary) metabolites. A total of 24 cultivars were studied (20 belonging to the Italian germplasm plus 4 international varieties) for their morphological parameters, specialized metabolite content evaluated by HPLC/Uv-Vis/DAD and UPLC/ESI/ Orbitrap MS analyses and antioxidant activity of juices assessed by ABTS+ and DPPH center dot tests. State of the art statistical tools were used to rationalize the data, specifically Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and clustering analysis, Random Forest and Heatmap were performed. The results obtained allowed us to assess biochemical variability and to identify a commercial placement (fresh market vs industrial transformation) for the analyzed genotypes. The results indicated that F. Adamo, F. Scandurra, F. Continella, F. Cerza and F. Akragas could be suitable for the fresh consumption due to their favorable morphological parameters. Conversely, F. Siracusano, F. Cocuzzaro and F. S.Teresa, F. 2Kr and F. Fragala` were distinguished by their high levels of metabolic compounds. Lemox and Fino 49 exhibited the largest fruit weight, suggesting their potential use for processed juice production.