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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #186177
Title: GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATION IN ANTHOCYANINS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY IN BLACKBERRY AND HYBRIDBERRY CULTIVARS

Author
item CONNOR, ANNE MARIE - HORTRESEARCH
item Finn, Chad
item MCGIE, T - HORTRESEARCH
item ALSPACH, P - HORTRESEARCH

Submitted to: Journal American Society Hortscience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/3/2005
Publication Date: 9/5/2005
Citation: Connor, A., Finn, C.E., Mcgie, T.K., Alspach, P.A. 2005. Genetic and environmental variation in anthocyanins and their relationship to antioxidant activity in blackberry and hybridberry cultivars. Journal American Society Hortscience. 130:680-687.

Interpretive Summary: Dietary anthocyanins may give health benefits through their antioxidant activity or other physiological effects. The antioxidant acivity and anthocyanin profiles were examined for a number of blackberrry cultivars harvested in two different years in Oregon and New Zealand. The goal was to see how these levels changed from year to year, from cultivar to cultivar, and from location to location and to examine the various interactions. This information will help breeders develop the best approaches to breeding for optimal levels of anthocyanins and therefore antioxidant activity. The results suggest that the optimal evalation of cultivar performance for these tratis should include assessment over several years and locations.

Technical Abstract: Dietary anthocyanins (ACYs) may give health benefits through their antioxidant activity (AA) or other physiological effects. We examined AA and ACY profiles and contents in 16 blackberry(Rubus L. species) cultivars harvested in 2002-2003 in New Zealand and Oregon. Total ACY content varied widely among cultivars harvested from a single site in a single year. For the cultivars common to both sites and years, cultivar and year within location significantly affected total ACY content, accounting for 40% and 10% of total variation, respectively. Cultivar interactions with location and year within location were significant, together accounting for 39% of variation. Cyanidin 3-O-glucoside and cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside were identified in all cultivars in both locations. Compared with total ACY, cultivar accounted for more variation in these two ACYs, while cultivar interactions together accounted for a smaller, but statistically significant, proportion of variation. Cyanidin 3-O-sophoroside and cyanidin 3-O-(2G-glucosylrutinoside) were identified in only 4 cultivars. Cultivar effects accounted for 64% and 76% of variation in these ACYs, respectively, while cultivar interactions together contributed 18% and 24%, respectively. For AA, cultivar effects were not significant, contributing 11% of variation; in contrast, year effect and cultivar × environment interactions were significant, contributing 22% and 55% of total variation, respectively. Based on means for all genotypes, the phenotypic correlation between AA and total ACY was positive but lower than that between AA and phenolic content. Combinations of individual ACYs did not provide higher correlations with AA. Thus, ACY profiles and content are not as useful as TPH as a proxy measurement for AA.