An ethnobotanical, chemical and sensorial characterization of Prunus brigantina Vill.: a traditional wild plum of the Piedmont Occitan valleys

Prunus brigantina Vill. is a wild tree species native to a restricted Occitan Alpine area between France and Italy. To the best of our knowledge, a systematic characterization of this fruit is lacking in the literature. Through a multidisciplinary approach, we aimed: 1. to obtain an ethnobotanical and chemical characterization of the fruit; 2. to study the acceptability and the key sensory attributes characterizing three innovative P. brigantina gastronomic preparations. Prunus brigantina fruits were found to be still locally used to produce homemade jams. Wild populations of the tree have become increasingly scarce. The fruit contained 9.5% of total soluble solids, 2.3 g/100 g sugars, and showed acidic pH (3.0). It was rich in pectins (9.09 g/100 g dry matter, 40.7% degree of esterification) and polyphenols (5219 mg/kg GAE), with high antioxidant activity (90%); Potassium was the predominant mineral. The oil extracted from kernel (yield: 26.6%) showed high oxidative stability (peroxide value: 0.49 meq O2/kg) despite 4.4% free acidity. It was rich in oleic acid (77.8%) and sterols (187.5–244.3 mg/100 g), predominantly β-sitosterol (82.1%). Results of the consumers’ test (n=94, 57% females) conducted on three preparations (juice, gummy candy, fruit leather) showed that the slightly sweetened juice was the most liked, while the candy was the softest and the fruit leather was the sourest, stickiest and most intense in flavour. P. brigantina seems a valuable fruit for different gastronomic preparations. Multidisciplinary approaches contribute to valorise understudied products and expand knowledge about plant biodiversity.