Flavonol Content Varies among Black Currant Cultivars

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry Vol. 49; no. 7; pp. 3274 - 3277
• Main Authors: Mikkonen, Tiina P, Määttä, Kaisu R, Hukkanen, Anne T, Kokko, Harri I, Törrönen, A. Riitta, Kärenlampi, Sirpa O, Karjalainen, Reijo O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.07.2001
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Flavonoids - analysis; Flavonols; Food industries; Fruit - chemistry; Fruit - classification; Fruit and vegetable industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; Kaempferols; Quercetin - analogs & derivatives; Quercetin - analysis; Reproducibility of Results; Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims; Yield, quality, earliness, varia; Traditional farming; Small fruits; Organic agriculture; Black currant; HPLC chromatography; Varietal selection; Flavone(3-hydroxy); Comparative study; Cultivar
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf0010228

Flavonoids and related plant compounds in fruits and vegetables are of particular importance as they have been found to possess antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity. The HPLC-based quantitative procedure, with improved extraction and hydrolysis, was used to analyze the content of the flavonols quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol in 10 black currant cultivars from organic farms and in 5 cultivars from conventional farms. Myricetin was the most abundant flavonol, and its amount varied significantly among cultivars, from 8.9 to 24.5 mg 100 g-1 (fresh weight). The quercetin levels in black currant also varied widely among the cultivars, from 5.2 to 12.2 mg 100 g-1. The kaempferol levels in black currant cultivars were low, ranging from 0.9 to 2.3 mg 100 g-1. The sum of these major flavonols varied widely among black currant cultivars. No consistent differences in the contents of flavonols were found between the same black currant cultivars grown in organic and conventional ways. The high variability in the levels of flavonols in different cultivars offers possible avenues for identifying and selecting cultivars rich in certain flavonols for the special production of berries for industrial use. Keywords: Flavonoid; flavonol; quercetin; myricetin; kaempferol; black currant; cultivars; HPLC