Polyphenol Content in Kiwifruits and Susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea Infection

In this work, the possibility to select kiwi fruits in function of their resistance to Botrytis micelium was investigated, by using the portable optical sensor Multiplex. The selection index was based on fruit polyphenols content, an important parameter for plant resistance against microbiological infections. The polyphenol accumulation in kiwifruit exocarp was measured directly in the whole fruit by the optical sensor, previously calibrated for the flavonols content by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS analyses. Following artificial inoculation of kiwifruits with Botrytis cinerea, a significant correlation was found between their flavonols content and disease incidence/severity, with larger rot lesions in kiwi fruits having a low flavonols index.