Evaluation of European Cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus L.) genotypes for agro-morphological, biochemical and bioactive characteristics in Turkey

The study evaluated some agro-morphological (fruit weight, fruit flesh ratio, fruit skin colour, number of fruits per raceme, number of racemes per bush), biochemical (vitamin C, soluble solids content, organic acids), and bioactive (total phenolics, total anthocyanins, total flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity) characteristics of the fruit of a number of selected European Cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus L.) genotypes grown in the Sivas province of Turkey. To evaluate the antioxidant capacity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays were performed. The results showed genotype-specific differences in most of the agro-morphological, biochemical and bioactive characteristics. The range of fruit weight, number of fruits per raceme, and number of racemes per bush was between 0.67 and 0.82 g, 40.7 and 57.1, and 470 and 581, respectively. The highest vitamin C and soluble solids contents were found in the fruits of genotypes SIV-9 and SIV-6 as 39 mg per 100 g and 12.6%, respectively. Tartaric acid was the main organic acid in all the genotypes; it ranged from 120 to 144 mg per 100 g of fruit FW. Total phenolic, total anthocyanin and total flavonoid contents ranged from 621 to 987 mg gallic acid equivalents per 100 g, 15 to 51 mg cyanidin-3-rutinoside equivalents per 100 g, and 202 to 318 mg rutin equivalents per 100 g, respectively. Genotype SIV-10 had the highest antioxidant capacity (34.90 mu mol Trolox per g, based on FRAP assays). The present study shows the potential of the evaluated European Cranberrybush genotypes for improving the nutritional value through germplasm enhancement programmes.