ABSTRACT
Skin color of apples, particularly in red cultivars, is an important factor in consumer acceptance. The pigments causing red coloration in apple skin — Malus pumila L., Rosaceae— are mainly anthocyanins, although colorless phenolic compounds also aid in the intensification of color through the copigmentation reaction. The formation of anthocyanin in apples depends on a number of internal and external factors. Temperature is a major factor in anthocyanin accumulation in apples. The presence of anthocyanins as genetic markers in the apple allows apomixis in Malus spp. to be expressed. The leucoanthocyanins of pome fruits are complex, and their exact configuration and degree of polymerization are uncertain. The fruit is rich in anthocyanins and other biologically active substances. S. V. Yuditskaite observed that grafting of Aronia melanocarpa onto Sorbus aucuparia (mountain ash) favors the accumulation of anthocyanins in the fruit. According to V. E. Kiselev the anthocyanins protect Cotoneaster from cold injuries.
