Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Geneva, New York » Grape Genetics Research Unit (GGRU) » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #285479
Title: Characterization of polyphenolic metabolites in grape hybrids

Author
item LIANG, ZHENCHANG - Cornell University
item Yang, Yingzhen
item CHENG, LAILIANG - Cornell University
item Zhong, Gan-Yuan

Submitted to: Vitis
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/31/2012
Publication Date: 1/15/2013
Citation: Liang, Z., Yang, Y., Cheng, L., Zhong, G. 2013. Characterization of polyphenolic metabolites in grape hybrids. Vitis. 52(2):51-59.

Interpretive Summary: Grapes are rich in phytochemicals, polyphenols in particular, which have many nutrition and health benefits. We have recently initiated a project systematically surveying the composition and content of polyphenols in the USDA-Agricultural Research Service grape germplasm maintained in Davis, California and Geneva, New York. The current study characterized the polyphenolic composition and content in the berries of 48 hybrid grapes. We observed that the content of polyphenolic compounds varied significantly among hybrids. We identified a number of accessions of hybrid grapes with very high content of polyphenols. This study will enhance the effectiveness of our future effort in transferring polyphenolic trait variation from wild grapes to cultivated grapes. This study will be an important addition to our long-term effort in developing a comprehensive database of nutrition- and health-related secondary metabolites in the grape germplasm for grape improvement.

Technical Abstract: The composition and content of polyphenolic compounds in the berries of 48 hybrid grapes (Vitis) were characterized for two consecutive years. A total of 48 polyphenolic compounds including 28 anthocyanins, 2 hydroxybenzoic acids, 6 hydroxycinnamic derivatives, 6 flavonols and 6 flavanols were identified via HPLC-MS and quantified by HPLC-DAD. The content of total polyphenols as well as individual polyphenolic compounds varied significantly among hybrids. As expected, the relative abundance of polyphenolic compounds in the hybrids exhibited quantitative variation and was, in general, in the range of parental species of the hybrids. A number of hybrid grapes with high content of total polyphenols and various individual groups of polyphenolic compounds were identified. This work represents the most comprehensive survey of polyphenolics in hybrid grapes, contributes to the understanding of inheritance of polyphenolic compounds in interspecific hybrids of Vitis species, and enhances the effectiveness of future effort in transferring polyphenolic trait variation from Vitis wild species to cultivated grapes.