PHYSIOCHEMICAL AND MINERAL CHARACTERIZATION OF UNEXPLORED LOCAL GRAPES (Vitis vinifera L.) CULTIVARS GROWING IN BALOCHISTAN PROVINCE, PAKISTAN

Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are highly valuable crops enriched with minerals, vitamins, phenolics, and antioxidants required for daily human activities and to prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to elucidate the physicochemical and mineral evaluation of seven neglected local grape cultivars (‘Kishmish’, ‘Sra Kishmish’, ‘Askari’, ‘Sahibi’, ‘Haita’, ‘Sundar Khani’ and ‘Toran’) growing in Baluchistan, as it can help in future breeding, processing, and species conservation. Therefore, these cultivars were evaluated for different physical, biochemical, and availability of macro– and micro–mineral contents. In physical evaluation, the local cultivar ‘Haita’ showed maximum bunch length (19.72 cm) and bunch width (11.88 cm), while the highest bunch weight (527.33 g) was recorded in ‘Sahibi’. Similarly, significant differences were noted in biochemical traits, and maximum total soluble solids (24.76%) and titratable acidity (1.58%) were observed in ‘Sundar Khani’, while the highest vitamin C (26.17 mg 100 g^–1), total sugars (30.26%) in Sundar Khani, and nonreducing sugars (8.79%) were recorded in ‘Haita’. The cultivars growing in Balochistan also showed variations in phenolics (113.79–346.50 mg GAE L^–1) and antioxidants (85.77– 90.87%). Likewise, the concentrations of macro-and microelements were also highly variable in these cultivars. Overall, among these cultivars, ‘Toran’ performed better in the agroclimatic conditions of Balochistan, as it has high yield attributes such as berry length, width, and weight. Moreover, it was also enriched with total soluble solids, antioxidants, and calcium contents.