Turkey is one of the most important centres of mulberry genetic resources and mulberries grow naturally almost everywhere in Turkey. This study was carried out to determine the most important phenolic compounds and phytochemical properties of mulberry (Morus nigra L.) genotypes collected from natural resources in 2016-2017 in the province of Uşak (Turkey). The investigated biochemical characteristics included: total soluble solids content (TSS), pH, titratable acidity, total phenolic content, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity (DPPH).The highest values of phenolic compounds, i.e. ellagic acid, rutin, quercetin, gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid, were as follows: 5. 89, 133.60, 11.25, 40.90, 10.54, 97.59 and 21.93 g 100 g -1 , respectively. The highest values of total phenolics, vitamin C content and antioxidant capacity determined in the investigated mulberry genotypes were 2977.30 mg GAE g -1 , 31.34 mg 100 g -1 and 26.80%, respectively. The genotypes 64USA08, 64USA06 and 64USA10 can be recommended in terms of the most valuable chemical composition and used for future breeding purposes. It is desirable to take steps to implement an intensive programme for the preservation of Morus nigra L. biodiversity in Turkey.Ke y wor d s: antioxidant activity, chemical composition, organic acids

Berries are in the form of a semi-bush or shrub, soft fleshy, juicy, often small and edible. They are generally in bright colours and may sweet or sour in taste. The present study reports a comparison of the antioxidant properties and phenolic profile of the most consumed berry species, namely redcurrant (Ribes rubrum L.), blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.), red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.), blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L.), gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa L.) and jostaberry (Ribes nidigrolaria Rud. Bauer & A. Bauer). Results of the present study suggested that the highest antioxidant activity (426.26 mg ∙ 100 g−1) and anthocyanin contents (226.33 mg ∙ 100 g−1) are found in Heritage variety of the raspberry species. The highest total phenol content was determined as 1,593.92 mg of Gallic Acid Equivalents (GAE) in jostaberry fruits. The highest ascorbic acid content was obtained from the Goliath variety of blackcurrant as 2,659.26 mg ∙ 100 g−1. The highest ellagic acid value was found as 48.30 mg ∙ 100 g−1 in gooseberry, the highest fumaric and citric acid concentrations were noted from jostaberry fruits as 121.88 mg ∙ 100 g−1 and 14.84 mg ∙ 100 g−1, respectively, while the highest malic acid content was determined as 14.70 mg ∙ 100 g−1 in gooseberry fruits. Our results suggest that berries rich in antioxidant properties and phenolic profile may be an important raw plant material for both the pharmaceutical and food industries.

IntroductionGoji berry is the common name of the species Lycium barbarum, Lycium chinense, and Lycium ruthenicum, belonging to the genus Lycium of the family Solanaceae, and it is known to occur more often in tropical and subtropical regions of the world (Levin and Miller, 2005). The plant is common in Mongolia, the Himalayas, western China, and Tibet (Bucheli et al., 2011), where it occurs in arid, semiarid, and slightly semisaline regions (Fukuda et al., 2001).Worldwide, goji berry is also known as wolfberry. While Lycium ruthenicum has small black berries, Lycium barbarum has various colored berries, ranging from orange to dark red. These 2 species are cultivated commercially, with studies having been conducted more often on Lycium barbarum. Goji berry is a bush-type perennial plant, which is highly tolerant to climatic and environmental conditions, that is able to uptake necessary nutrients and water from the soil due to its advanced root system. Although Lycium barbarum and Lycium ruthenicum have similar morphological properties, specific morphological properties are obviously characteristic in distinguishing these 2 species (Wang et al., 2015).In Lycium barbarum, the leaves are long and elliptical, pedicel is 1-2 cm long, calyx usually has 2 lobes that are 2-or 3-ribbed at the end, corolla tube is 8-10 mm long and longer than the lobes, and the berries are red or orange, yellow, rectangular, and oval. There are usually between 4 and 20 brown or yellow seeds per berry. Lycium ruthenicum is bushy like Lycium barbarum and it is rather branched. Leaves are fleshy, linear, or slightly cylindrical. Calyx is dispersed with 2-4 lobes, pedicel is 5-10 mm long, berries are spherical purple and black, sometimes its head or edge is notched, and the seeds are especially brown (Mi et al., 2015).Goji berry plants are highly tolerant to adverse environmental conditions and grow at different altitudes ranging from 700 to 2700 m. In China, the plant is very popular and it has been consumed as a food for centuries due to its many benefits for health and its effect on longevity (Gündüz et al., 2015).The berries, harvested from the beginning of summer to the end of autumn, are consumed either fresh or dried (Amagase and Farnsworth, 2011; Gundogdu et al., 2018). More recently, studies on the goji berries of the species Lycium have focused on potential health-benefitting Abstract: Goji berry is a lesser-known fruit species and its berries have been used in traditional medicine for centuries as remedies to treat eye, liver, and kidney ailments, as well as for the prevention of cancer symptoms due to its high phytochemical content. This study aimed to investigate changes in the pomological, biochemical, and phytochemical properties of the berries of 4 goji berry genotypes harvested during 4 months (June, July, August, and September) of the same year. The results indicated that the highest berry dimensions (height and width) and soluble solid content were obtained from Genotype 2, harvested in June. The vitamin C, total phenolic, an...

Propolis, also called “bee-glue,” is a natural resinous substance produced by honeybees from plant exudates, beeswax, and bee secretions in order to defend the hives. It has numerous phenolic compounds with more than 250 identified chemical compounds in its composition, which are also known to significantly vary according to the plant sources and season. Moreover, it has a long history in the traditional and scientific medicine as having antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-infective, and wound healing effects since 300 BC. In addition to its nutritional and health-promoting effects, it has been reported to improve the postharvest storability of fresh fruits, vegetables, and processed food products. Herein, the biochemical composition and the efficacy of propolis in maintaining the postharvest storability of fresh food products were discussed to provide comprehensive guide to farmers and food processing and storage sectors and to scientists. This review paper also highlights the important points to which special attention should be given in further studies in order to be able to use propolis to develop biopreservatives industrially and for quality preservation during storage.

Prevention of postharvest losses has been a very important concern in the scientific world for many centuries, since adoption of an effective means to curtail such losses is believed to help in reaching sustainability in horticultural production and prevention of hunger around the world. The main means of deterioration in fruits, which may occur after harvest, include physiological changes/losses, physical losses, biochemical changes, changes in enzymatic activities and pathological deterioration. Among these, diseases cover the most important part; the losses due to diseases range from 5% to 20%, and this figure may extend up to >50% in the cases of certain susceptible cultivars. Fungicides have been the most important tool for the management of postharvest diseases for many years, together with hygiene, cold storage and packaging. However, due to the scientifically confirmed hazards of agro-chemicals on environment and human health, the acceptability of agro-chemicals decreased and scientists turned their attention towards natural alternatives. Most tropical and subtropical fruits contain a superficial cuticle, which helps them to regulate respiration and transpiration and protects against microbial decay. However, the waxy cuticle is generally being removed or damaged during washing or other handling practices. Therefore, the application of protective coatings (including wax) has been used in the fruit industry since the twelfth century, against microbial decay and for maintaining an acceptable standard of postharvest quality. This review aims to summarise and discuss the main natural products used for this purpose, to provide a broad-in-scope guide to farmers and the fruit storage sector.

Progression of the vegetation period and change of year are associated with variations in general climatic parameters, such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, radiation, precipitation, wind speed and others. Only limited knowledge is available about the effects of these parameters on the characteristics of quality of fruits especially those with successive ripening such as goji berry. In our study, fruits of goji berry were characterised based on physico-chemical properties within four different harvest periods, in two consecutive years. Based on the obtained results, it was found that the pomological characteristics were superior at the beginning of the production season, while the phytochemical properties were better at the end. Fruit length, width and weight characteristics were noted to decrease from the first harvest to the last by 21%, 18% and 33%, respectively, while the total anthocyanin, phenol and antioxidant activity properties increased by 264%, 48% and 105%, respectively. There was a decrease in fruit weight, fruit length and fruit width up to 15.9%, 18.3% and 6%, respectively and were directly associated with yield due to sink competition among fruits. Providing high ripening index that ensures more acceptable fruits, with high soluble solid content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA) seems to be a very important breeding objective to meet consumer demands thanks to superior organoleptic quality. According to correlations, the synthesis of phenolic compounds increased in parallel with SSC rise and TA, which improved pomological properties too. It is thought that the obtained results may indicate the cultural processes and evaluation methods to be used for the harvested fruits.

In recent times, pomegranate has been one of Turkey's most important commercial fruit crops for consumption and export. In this study, the chemical composition of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruits grown in the central area of Bitlis province (Eastern Turkey) was investigated. For this purpose, total phenolic content, ascorbic acid content, total anthocyanin and antioxidant activity and minerals content were evaluated. The highest total phenolic contents were determined in 13BIT1 (6477.78 mg gallic acid equivalents 100 g-1 fresh matter). The highest ascorbic acid was determined in 13BIT2 of pomegranate genotype (60.78 mg 100 g-1). Radical scavenging activity (DPPH) were determined between 13BIT18 (78.15) to 13BIT1 (31.49). Total anthocyanin of genotypes was measured between 13BIT19 (156.03) to 13BIT17 (55.37), respectively. The highest mineral compositions of the pomegranate genotypes were 998.00% N, 301.00 mg 100 g-1 P, 1708.61 mg 100 g-1 K, 55.21 mg 100 g-1 Ca, 116.79 mg 100 g-1 Mg, 5.1 mg 100 g-1 Fe, 1.91 mg 100 g-1 Cu, 0.41 mg 100 g-1 Mn and 1.20 mg 100 g-1 Zn, respectively. The results indicate that pomegranate genotypes have an important value of health and nutrition for the human.

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