Evolution of apricot fruit quality attributes in the new released cultivars

International audience; Among fruit species, apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is characterized by a large increase in the number of registered and/or granted cultivars over the last decades, and by an effective interest at the European level. At the same time, an evolution concerning fruit quality attributes was observed globally among registered cultivars. In order to characterize this tendency, 172 cultivars in collection were observed. Representative fruit samples have been collected and their quality attributes such as fruit weight, firmness, colour, soluble solids content, and titratable acidity were considered. The impacts of genetic and geographic origin factors were evaluated. A significant increase in fruit firmness and colour, as well as a decrease in fruit acidity, was observed. No evolution on sugar content was noticed.