Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #145011
Title: INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDIZATION FOR INCREASED BIOAVAILABILITY OF ANTIOXIDANTS

Author
item VORSA, NICHOLI - RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
item Polashock, James
item VVEDENSKAYA, IRINA - RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/17/2003
Publication Date: 1/17/2003
Citation: Vorsa, N., Polashock, J.J., Vvedenskaya, I. 2003. Interspecific hybridization for increased bioavailability of antioxidants. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Many flavonoids, including anthocyanins and flavonols, exist in plants as conjugates of sugars. Evidence suggests that the bioavailability of flavonoids in mammalian diets is a function of the sugar moiety, and that glucosides may be the preferred conjugates. Fruit of the American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) has anthocyanins largely as galactoside and arabinoside conjugates. Another cranberry species, V. oxycoccus, has been found to have largely anthocyanin glucosides. Segregation in backcross and F2 populations for anthocyanin glycosylation is consistent with a single locus co-dominant model, possibly involving a glycosyl transferase, which confers sugar moiety phenotype. The V. macrocarpon allele confers the conjugation with both galactose and arabinose, while the V. oxycoccus allele largely favors glucosylation. The simplest explanation is a difference in anthocyanin glycosyltransferase alleles with different sugar specificity. Flavonol glycosylation appears similar between these two species suggesting another glycosylatransferase specific for flavonols may be responsible for flavonol glycosylation in cranberry.