Ecological Aspects of the Comparative Study of Cornus mas L. Genotypes According to Morphological Characteristics of the Fruits, the Content of Functional Groups of Biochemical Substances and Suitability for Healthy Food Production

Abstract

The relevance of the research lies in constant desire to increase the possibilities of using dogwood, in the system of fruit horticulture. The methodological basis for conducting research include the method of carrying out an examination of suitability of fruit and berry group varieties for spreading in Ukraine, the method of assessing the quality of fruit and berry products as well as the state standards of Ukraine for determining the quality of fruits. The original data on the morphology plants and biochemical properties of the fruits of different dogwood varieties selected by Ukrainian scientists have been presented. Attention was focused on the content of dry soluble substances, sugars, pectin substances, organic acids, and polyphenolic substances as a source of antioxidants. It was found that the content of dry soluble substances in the fruits of the Stoyan form is at the level of the Olena and Radist varieties, about 18.5%. The Hrafskyi dogwood fruits are characterized by a low content of titrated acids, which results in a balanced taste considering the sugar-acid index (SAI, 5.5). The Hrafskyi form is distinguished by the increased content of pectin substances in the fruits. It has been studied that the form of Stoyan (F-32-5-18) contains the highest amount of polyphenolic substances (944 mg/100 g), while Vydubytskyi contains 274, Vyshgorodskyi – 327, Radist – 375 mg/100 g. The content of polyphenolic substances in the fruits of the Hrafskyi form is 483 mg/100 g, which is almost on a par with the Volodymyrskyi and Lukyanivskyi varieties. The Stoyan and Hrafskyi forms have the highest content of flavonoids - 107.5±4.4 and 102.5±2.0 mg/100 g. It was found that the fruits of the Hrafskyi form have an above average content of anthocyanins (52.83±1.92 mg/100 g), compared to other varieties. The originality of the study lies in the fact that the knowledge about the morphological characteristics of plants and the biochemical characteristics of the common dogwood fruits, developed by Ukrainian scientists, was expanded. On the basis of the research results, the best varieties were selected, the fruits of which are suitable for developing technologies for the production of blended syrups for a healthy diet.