Abstract: To select the appropriate cultivar for processing pure apple micropowder, physicochemical and behavior characteristics of different pure apple micropowder processed from five apple cultivars including Changfu No. 2, Hanfu, Golden Delicious, Guoguang and Qinguan were evaluated. Apple micropowder was prepared by using short- and mediumwave infrared radiation drying combined with coarse grinding technology. All above parameters were further analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). Among these cultivars, the lightness L value of Hanfu apple micropowder was the highest, whereas Qinguan apple micropowder presented the lowest L value. The contents of total phenol and total sugar in Fuji apple micropowder were the highest. The cohesiveness of Changfu No. 2 apple micropowder and Hanfu apple micropowder was lower than that of other cultivars under the condition of high stress. Furthermore, three principal factors were selected through PCA, which could account for 90.38% of the total variability. In summary, Fuji apple is the most appropriate cultivar for processing apple micropowder.

Key words: apple, cultivar, micropowder, quality, flowability, principal component analysis