COMPOSITION AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF UNRIPE KOREAN PEAR CULTIVARS

Thinned pear fruit are thrown away as waste although they contain nutrients such as dietary fiber. For the investigation of possible use as functional materials, five Korean pear cultivars (‘Chuwhangbae’, ‘Gamcheonbae’, ‘Manpungbae’, ‘Niitaka’, ‘Hanareum’) were studied at unripe stage to determine the physicochemical properties and chemical compositions. The cultivars were picked at 30 days after full bloom, and all samples were analyzed for external and physicochemical properties. The size of the fruit from all five cultivars was compared, and it was determined that fruit from ‘Gamcheonbae’ and ‘Manpungbae’ were large, while fruit from ‘Chuwhangbae’ were small. The moisture content ranged from 71.5-75.0%, with those of ‘Hanareum’ being highest and ‘Chuwhangbae’ lowest. The contents of crude lipid (2.30-2.94%) and crude ash (4.57-4.89%) were significantly different among cultivars. Dietary fiber was 13.0-18.2%, significantly higher in ‘Chuwhangbae’. The free sugar contents were 2.72-3.31% and were composed of sorbitol, fructose and glucose. Total phenolic and flavonoid content of 80% EtOH extract in ‘Manpungbae’ was higher than in other pears.