Compositional Diversity among Blackcurrant ( Ribes nigrum) Cultivars Originating from European Countries.

Berries representing 21 cultivars of blackcurrant were analyzed using liquid chromatographic, gas chromatographic, and mass spectrometric methods coupled with multivariate models. This study pinpointed compositional variation among cultivars of different origins cultivated in the same location during two seasons. The chemical profiles of blackcurrants varied significantly among cultivars and growing years. The key differences among cultivars of Scottish, Lithuanian, and Finnish origins were in the contents of phenolic acids (23 vs 16 vs 19 mg/100 g on average, respectively), mainly as 5- O-caffeoylquinic acid, 4- O-coumaroylglucose, ( E)-coumaroyloxymethylene-glucopyranosyloxy-( Z)-butenenitrile, and 1- O-feruloylglucose. The Scottish cultivars were grouped on the basis of the 3- O-glycosides of delphinidin and cyanidin, as were the Lithuanian cultivars. Among the Finnish samples, the content of myricetin 3- O-glycosides, 4- O-caffeoylglucose, 1- O-coumaroylglucose, and 4- O-coumaroylglucose were significantly different between the two green-fruited cultivars and the black-fruited cultivars. The samples from the studied years differed in the content of phenolic acid derivatives, quercetin glycosides, monosaccharides, and citric acid.

High variability in flavonoid contents and composition between different North-European currant (Ribes spp.) varieties.

This study provides information on the variation of anthocyanin and flavonol contents and composition in 32 black and 12 redcurrant varieties, as well as flavonol contents and composition in two green-fruited blackcurrant (green currant) and one white currant varieties conserved in a national ex situ germplasm field collection in Finland, North Europe. Flavonols were analysed as aglycones and anthocyanins as authentic compounds using HPLC methods. In blackcurrants, total anthocyanin content varied 1260-2878mg/100g dry weight and total flavonol content 43.6-89.9mg/100g dry weight. In redcurrants, the content of anthocyanins and flavonols varied 138-462mg/100g dry weight and from not detectable to 17.7mg/100g dry weight, respectively. The green currants contained flavonols 26.1 and 15.4mg/100g dry weight, while in the white variety no flavonols were detected. A positive correlation was found between the total content of anthocyanins and flavonols in both black and redcurrants. Berry size was negatively related to the flavonoid content in redcurrants but not in blackcurrants. The results revealed that some old varieties may be of particular interest when high contents or special composition of flavonoids are desired.