Fruits from 107 genotypes of Vaccinium L., Rubus L., and Ribes L., were analyzed for total anthocyanins (ACY), total phenolics (TPH), and antioxidant capacities as determined by oxygen radical absorbing capacity (ORAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Fruit size was highly correlated (r = 0.84) with ACY within Vaccinium corymbosum L., but was not correlated to ACY across eight other Vaccinium species, or within 27 blackberry hybrids. Certain Vaccinium and Ribes fruits with pigmented flesh were lower in ACY, TPH, ORAC, and FRAP compared to those values in berries with nonpigmented flesh. ORAC values ranged from 19 to 131 micromol Trolox equivalents/g in Vaccinium, from 13 to 146 in Rubus, and from 17 to 116 in Ribes. Though ACY may indicate TPH, the range observed in ACY/TPH ratios precludes prediction of ACY from TPH and vice versa for a single genotype. In general, TPH was more highly correlated to antioxidant capacity than ACY was. This study demonstrates the wide diversity of phytochemical levels and antioxidant capacities within and across three genera of small fruit.

The antioxidative capacities of a number of Rubus species of varied pigmentation have been investigated. In addition, total phenol, anthocyanin and ascorbic acid contents have been determined. Two methods to assess the antioxidant potential of fruit juices have been used. The antioxidant capacities of the fruit ranged from 0 to 25.3 mmol Trolox equivalents g À1 (TEAC) or from 190 to 66 000 mmol l À1 ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Ascorbic acid contributes only minimally to the antioxidant potential of Rubus juices (`10%, TEAC). There are apparent linear relationships between antioxidant capacity (assessed as both TEAC and FRAP) and total phenols (r xy = 0.6713 and 0.9646 respectively). Also, anthocyanin content has a minor in¯uence on antioxidant capacity (r xy = 0.3774, TEAC; r xy = 0.5883, FRAP). The sample with the highest antioxidant capacity (Rubus caucasicus) had the highest phenol content, but only a low percentage was represented by anthocyanins. The present study demonstrates the potential of certain wild Rubus species, notably R caucasicus, for improvement of nutritional value through germplasm enhancement programmes.

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The meristematic tissues of temperate woody perennials must acclimate to freezing temperatures to survive the winter and resume growth the following year. To determine whether the C-repeat binding factor (CBF) family of transcription factors contributing to this process in annual herbaceous species also functions in woody perennials, we investigated the changes in phenotype and transcript profile of transgenic Populus constitutively expressing CBF1 from Arabidopsis ( AtCBF1 ). Ectopic expression of AtCBF1 was sufficient to significantly increase the freezing tolerance of non-acclimated leaves and stems relative to wild-type plants. cDNA microarray experiments identified genes upregulated by ectopic AtCBF1 expression in Populus , demonstrated a strong conservation of the CBF regulon between Populus and Arabidopsis and identified differences between leaf and stem regulons. We studied the induction kinetics and tissue specificity of four CBF paralogues identified from the Populus balsamifera subsp . trichocarpa genome sequence ( PtCBF s). All four PtCBF s are cold-inducible in leaves, but only PtCBF1 and PtCBF3 show significant induction in stems. Our results suggest that the central role played by the CBF family of transcriptional activators in cold acclimation of Arabidopsis has been maintained in Populus . However, the differential expression of the PtCBF s and differing clusters of CBFresponsive genes in annual (leaf) and perennial (stem) tissues suggest that the perennial-driven evolution of winter dormancy may have given rise to specific roles for these 'master-switches' in the different annual and perennial tissues of woody species.

Total anthocyanin pigments increased from 74.7 to 317 mg/100 g fresh weight (FW) from underripe to overripe for Marion blackberries and from 69.9 to 164 mg/100 g FW for Evergreen blackberries. Total phenolics did not show a marked change with maturity with values slightly decreasing from underripe to ripe. Antioxidant activities, while increasing with ripening, also did not show the marked change that total anthocyanins exhibited. The impact of variation due to plots, subsampling, sample preparation, and measurement on Marion composition was examined in detail. Plot-to-plot and sample differences were the major contributors to variation, with sample preparation being an important contributor for some parameters. Measurement variation was a relatively small component of the total variation. Total anthocyanins for 11 blackberry cultivars ranged from 131 to 256 mg/100 g FW (mean = 198), total phenolics ranged from 682 to 1056 mg GAE/100 g FW (mean = 900), oxygen radical absorbance capacity ranged from 37.6 to 75.5 micromol TE/g FW (mean = 50.2), and ferric reducing antioxidant power ranged from 63.5 to 91.5 micromol TE/g FW (mean = 77.5).

Selected aroma-active compounds in strawberries were quantified using headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography. Ten strawberry cultivars grown in California and Oregon were studied. The standard curves were built in a synthetic matrix and quantification was achieved using multiple internal standards. Odor activity values (OAVs) of the aroma compounds were calculated to understand their contribution to the overall aroma. Although the concentrations of the aroma compounds varied depending on the cultivars, in general, ethyl butanoate, mesifurane, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl 3-methylbutanoate, hexyl acetate, and gamma-dodecalactone had the highest OAVs. Descriptive sensory analysis was performed by a trained panel of 10 members. A PCA plot was built to understand the aroma contribution of principal components. The chemical results were compared with sensory data. The OAV of esters correlated well with the floral, pineapple, and banana notes. The green notes did not correlate with the concentration or OAVs of aldehydes or C6 alcohols. It is assumed that the higher amounts of green, sulfur, musty, and waxy notes in some cultivars were due to the lack of fruity notes.

Dietary antioxidants may have a role in preventing some of the chronic diseases in humans resulting from free radical oxidation of lipids and other cellular components. Blueberries (Vaccinium L. sp.) are considered one of the best fresh fruit sources of antioxidants, and there is the potential to increase the antioxidant activity further through breeding. Thus, the variability of fruit antioxidant activity (AA) was examined among a set of 16 highbush and interspecific hybrid cultivars grown at locations in Minnesota (MN), Michigan (MI), and Oregon (OR) over 2 years (1998 and 1999) to determine effects of genotype, year, and location. Nine cultivars were common to all three locations in both years. Antioxidant activity, total phenolic content (TPH), and total anthocyanin content (ACY), were determined in triplicate samples from each genotype. Cultivars differed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in AA, TPH, and ACY both within and over locations. The single location mean AA for all cultivars changed significantly between the 2 years in OR and in MI, while the single location mean for TPH differed between the 2 years in MN and MI. Changes in cultivar rank were significant for AA, TPH, and ACY between years within each location. Significant changes in rank for TPH and ACY were also noted between pairs of locations as well. Pearson's correlation for AA (based on cultivar means) appeared highest between MN and OR (r = 0.90) and MN and MI (r = 0.69) in 1998; correlations between locations for the combined years were 0.74 for MN and OR, 0.55 for MN and MI and 0.45 for MI and OR. For the group of nine cultivars, AA correlated well with TPH within each location, with r ranging from 0.67 to 0.95 for data from individual and combined years. Correlation of AA with ACY at each location was lower than that for AA with TPH, in both individual and combined years. This study demonstrates significant genotype× environment interaction for AA in blueberry.

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