CHARACTERIZATION OF RIBES NIGRUM IN RELATION TO FRUIT MATURITY AND GENOTYPE

Black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) production on Prince Edward Island, Canada is a new industry, requiring a baseline evaluation of berry quality and the factors that affect it. The overall goal of this research was to determine the influences of fruit maturity (harvest timing) and cultivar on berry quality. The quality characteristics of interest in this research were berry size, juice pH, titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), and total antioxidant capacity. In a harvest timing trial, quality of ‘Titania’ black currant berries was measured at 3, 6, 10 and 18 days after 95% of the berries turned black at two farms. In a cultivar trial, berry quality of seven cultivars (‘Titania’, ‘Ben Alder’, ‘Ben Connan’, ‘Ben Sarek’, ‘Ben Tirran’, ‘Blackhome’ and ‘Whistler’) was determined at 6 and 10 days after 95% of the berries turned black. In the timing trial, berry size unexpectedly decreased with time, most likely due to early berry splitting and drop associated with atypically warm and wet weather. Total antioxidant capacity increased with time, while there were marginally significant increases in TSS. Berry firmness was not measured, but was observed to decrease with time. There was a significant cultivar effect on berry size and TSS, and a significant timing × cultivar effect on TA. ‘Whistler’ berries had the largest size, highest TSS and lowest TA, compared with the other cultivars. Further analysis of the berry quality characteristics (including flavour) and timing of harvest effects are needed to verify the most appropriate management options for PEI producers.