Comparative Studies on Chemical Composition of Two Conventional Bred and One Genetically Engineered Plum-Fruits

The European plum (Prunus domestica L.) is one of the most important cultivated species among fruit trees in the world, and the dominant in Romania. Regarding the development of new plum cultivars derived from Prunus domestica, the following characteristics are taken into consideration most of the time: high yield performance, good quality fruits and last but not least, the resistance to PPV. “HoneySweet” is a transgenic clone of Prunus domestica transformed with Plum pox virus coat protein gene making it highly resistant to the virus. This study presents preliminary results on the chemical composition of HoneySweet transgenic plum and two conventional ones: Reine Claude d’Althan and Stanley. The most important nutritional factors were determined. HoneySweet had balanced individual carbohydrates content but lower soluble solids in comparison with the two conventional cultivars. Total lipids content in HoneySweet fruits was similar to Stanley, higher than in Reine Claude d’Althan. HoneySweet is distinguished by the highest total protein content. Similar amounts of magnesium and calcium were recorded in the three varieties. Overall, our preliminary results revealed that the quality and nutritional value of “Honey Sweet” genetic engineered plum is in the range of other valuable plum cultivars.