Phenolic compounds in blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) leaves relative to leaf position and harvest date

Michael Vagiri*, Sean Conner, Derek Stewart, Staffan C. Andersson, Susan Verrall, Eva Johansson, Kimmo Rumpunen

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    58 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Blackcurrant leaves are an essential source of phenolic compounds and this study investigated their variation relative to leaf positions and harvest date. The phenolic content varied between harvest dates, although leaf position on the shoot and interactions also played an important role. The contents of quercetin-malonyl-glucoside, kaempferol-malonyl-glucoside isomer and kaempferol-malonyl-glucoside were higher than that of the other identified phenolic compounds, whereas epigallocatechin was the lowest for all investigated leaf positions and harvest dates. The content of several of the compounds was highest in June, while quercetin-glucoside, kaempferol-glucoside and total phenols, increased towards the end of the season. Leaf position influenced the content of myricetin-malonyl-glucoside, myricetin-malonyl-glucoside isomer, quercetin-malonyl-glucoside and kaempferol-glucoside at the end of the season. Knowledge relating to the influence of ontogenetic and harvest time on the content of specific phenolic compounds might contribute in tailoring functional foods or pharmaceutical products using blackcurrant leaves as natural ingredients.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)135-142
    Number of pages8
    JournalFood Chemistry
    Volume172
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2015

    Keywords

    • Flavonols
    • Functional food
    • Growth stage
    • HPLC
    • Leaf age
    • Organic growing
    • Phenols
    • Polyphenols
    • Seasonal variation

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Food Science
    • Analytical Chemistry

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Phenolic compounds in blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) leaves relative to leaf position and harvest date'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this