Profiles of Volatile Compounds from Seven New Hybrid Families Obtained by Crossings on Noir de Bourgogne Cultivar and Other Blackcurrant Varieties.

Berries of blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) are popular for their strong and complex aroma and their benefits for health. In Burgundy (France), the most famous blackcurrant cultivar is the "Noir de Bourgogne". A blackcurrant breeding program was conducted to obtain new varieties, more resistant to infections and climate changes. The cultivar "Noir de Bourgogne" was crossed with seven other varieties in order to create a hybrid with good agronomic properties and organoleptic properties close to the ones of "Noir de Bourgogne". Several hybrids were created, and their aromatic profiles studied. Berries of eight cultivars, among which Noir de Bourgogne and hybrids resulting from crossings, were harvested during the summer of 2020. Volatile compounds of berries were analyzed by HS-SPME-GC-MS, and principal component analysis (PCA) was used as the most useful chemometric technique. The profiles in volatile compounds of hybrids were either different from those of the two parental varieties or close to that of varieties other than Bourgogne black. In all cases, the overall aroma strength of the hybrid did not equal that of the Noir de Bourgogne cultivar.

Identification of Volatile Compounds in Blackcurrant Berries: Differences among Cultivars.

Berries of blackcurrant are known to produce a strong flavor. Some previous studies have reported that a given cultivar of blackcurrant can produce berries with a specific profile of volatile compounds. For the Burgundy region in France, the Noir de Bourgogne cultivar is especially important because it is the main ingredient of a liquor with a designation of origin. The aim of the present study was to characterize the volatile fractions of berries from 15 cultivars in order to explore the possibility of using different cultivars for liquor production. The plants were cultivated under the same conditions and harvested in the same year. The volatile fractions of the harvested berries were analyzed using HS-SPME-GC-MS. Thorough univariate statistical analysis and multivariate analysis were applied to the dataset, which made it possible to identify groups within cultivars. The Rosenthal cultivar exhibited a quite flat profile; the Lositkia, Ben Tiran, and Barchatnaia cultivars shared common features; the Noir de Bourgogne cultivar showed the highest amounts of molecules such as 3-carene, limonene, ß-phellandrene, ocimene, α-terpinolene, and bicyclogermacrene. None of the studied varieties were close to the Noir de Bourgogne on the basis of VOC analysis.

Potential of Probiotic Frozen Blackcurrant Products: Consumer Preference, Physicochemical Characterization, and Cell Viability.

Blackcurrant is a healthy, affordable, and traditionally gardened berry that, thus far, has been underused in food applications. From the consumers' point of view, the acidic taste of blackcurrants is a challenge; therefore, these berries have mainly been utilized for sugary juice production. This research study aimed to develop a frozen vegan blackcurrant product with pleasant sensory properties and potential probiotic function. A candidate probiotic, Lactoplantibacillus plantarum Q823, was used in the manufacturing process. The physicochemical properties, nutritional composition, and consumer preference for the developed product were assessed, as was the viability of L. plantarum Q823 during storage time and in an in vitro gastrointestinal model. Consumers (n = 71) perceived the developed product to be pleasant. L. plantarum Q823 had high viability counts (log colony forming units (cfu) g-1 7.0 ± 0.38) in the final product, although the viability of L. plantarum Q823 during storage time needs to be enhanced to obtain a probiotic product. Thus, within an optimized formulation, blackcurrant berries represent a potential raw material for functional frozen food products.

Antimicrobial and Antioxidative Effects of Plant Powders in Raw and Cooked Minced Pork.

It is a challenge for scientists to find new plant-based food constituents simultaneously possessing antimicrobial and antioxidative properties to prolong the shelf life of meat products. In this study, various plant powders and their blends were added to minced pork to carry out a complex study of their effect on sensory characteristics, microbial growth, and lipid oxidation of the meat in raw and cooked forms during storage. Microbiological shelf life parameters were evaluated by determining the total counts of microorganisms, yeasts, and molds. The growth potential of Listeria monocytogenes was estimated by challenge testing. The impact on lipid oxidation processes was assessed using thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. The results showed that the blend of rhubarb petioles and tomato powder added a pleasant color and a combined taste to the product, similar to the taste of salt. In raw samples, considerable microbial growth inhibition was achieved with rhubarb petioles, tomato, and their mixture. Nine treatments of cooked samples had a stronger inhibitory effect on microbial growth compared to control treatments. Among all plant powders, tomato was the most effective inhibitor of yeast and mold growth. However, the challenge test revealed that L. monocytogenes growth in cooked samples was not inhibited during shelf life. In raw samples, rhubarb roots combined with blackcurrant or chokeberry berries effectively inhibited lipid oxidation, and in cooked samples, rhubarb petioles showed a similar effect. In conclusion, it was found that powdered plant materials are well suited for use as antimicrobial and antioxidative agents in minced meat products.