Effect of Maturation on the Lipid Content of Concord Grapes

An investigation was conducted to determine the lipid composition and fatty acid distribution of Concord grapes during maturation. Fruit samples were collected at four maturity levels from two Ohio vineyard locations. The crude lipid content of the berries was generally highest at véraison, approximately 0.23%. The neutral lipids tended to increase during maturation, while the polar lipids decreased. At harvest, the crude lipid content of the Concord samples was 0.20%; of this approximately 67% was neutral lipids and 33% polar lipids. The fatty acid distribution of both lipid fractions was predominated by myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids.