BIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES OF BLACK CURRANT BERRIES IN THE CONDITIONS OF NORTHWESTERN RUSSIA
Background. Black currant occupies one of the leading po­sitions among berry plants in terms of the content of nutri­ents and bioactive substances that are necessary for a bal­anced human diet. The modern standards for black currant varieties include mandatory requirements to the quality of fruits, including their biochemical composition. The high content of nutrients and biologically active substances in the berries is one of the priorities in breeding of this crop. The fruit biochemical composition is a genetically deter­mined trait that can vary in different soil and climatic zones. In this regard, the analysis of the degree of bioactive sub­stances accumulation in berries in a particular region of cultivation is relevant. Materials and methods. The con­tent of bioactive substances in black currant berries was analyzed in 2010-2012 in the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the N.I. Vavilov Institute (VIR). The content of P-active substances (flavonols, phenol car­boxylic acids, flavanes, anthocyanins) was determined in accordance with the methodological guidelines accepted at VIR. Results and discussion. Black currant varieties culti­vated in Leningrad Province contain from 518.1 to 813.6 mg/100 g of bioflavonoids, including 20.6 mg/100 g of flavonols, 75.4 mg/100 g of phenol carboxylic acids, 233.8 mg/100 g of catechins and 335.1 mg/100 g of antho­cyanins. As a result of the study, the sources of high total content of bioflavonoids and separate groups of phenolic compounds have been identified and can be used in breed­ing programs. The sources of high phenol carboxylic acids content are cvs. ‘Orloviya’(k-35789) and ‘Sensei’ (k-42646); high catechin content is characteristic of cvs. ‘Vospomi­nanie’ (k-40471), ‘Orloviya’ (k-35789), ‘Nadiya’k-42478) and ‘Оcharovanie’ (k-41980); while the sources of Р-active substances (˃ 700 mg/100 g) are cvs. ‘Vospominanie’ (к40471), ‘Orloviya’ (k-35789) and ‘Nadiya’ (k-42478). All the studied varieties are characterized by a high level of antho­cyanins accumulation (˃ 200 mg/100 g) and can be used in breeding for the indicated trait. The highest variability of indicators of phenolic compounds was observed for hydroxycinnamic acids. The existence of negative relation­ships between the berry mass and the content of individual bioactive compounds was established.