Effect of water deficit stress during fruit cultivation on the carbon stable isotopes of organic acids in Japanese apricots and liqueur prepared from these fruits.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to assess the impact of water deficit stress during fruit cultivation on the δ 13 C values of citric acid and malic acid in Japanese apricots at different ripeness stages and their resulting liqueurs. Our experiments show that water deficit stress increases the δ 13 C values of citric acid and malic acid in tree-ripened fruits, counteracting the typical decrease during ripening. However, water deficit treatment has a minimal effect on the δ 13 C values of organic acids in green fruits. Regardless of fruit ripeness or water status, the δ 13 C values of organic acids in fruits are directly reflected in the resulting liqueurs. Overall, water deficit stress during fruit cultivation has the potential to promote similarity in the δ 13 C values of organic acids across fruits at different ripeness levels, reducing variations among liqueurs derived from fruits of varying ripeness levels.