The effects of the application of different organic and conventional fertilisers on some flavour quality
attributes (aroma volatiles, sugars and organic acids) of cv. Golden Delicious apples were investigated by
an experimental field trial in two harvest years (2010 and 2012). Through a balanced randomised block
design, five organic fertilisation treatments (three different fertilisers at the same nitrogen dose, increase
and fractionation of dose for one of the fertiliser) were compared to each other, to a conventional
treatment based on a mineral fertiliser and to a non-fertilised control.
Fertilisation treatments significantly affected the level in fruits of several flavour related compounds,
such as some aroma volatiles, sugars and organic acids, but few of these responses were consistent across
the two harvest years and of remarkable size. Even when treatments gave place to marked differences in
the soil mineral nitrogen level, this reflected in a limited impact on flavour related compounds in the
fruit, the strongest effect being a 45% change in C6-aldehydes level. The different organic fertilisation
treatments weakly affected the considered fruit quality attributes. Significant differences were observed
for several sensory attributes between apples coming from different fertilisation treatments and characterised
by a quite similar chemical profile.