In-vitro bioaccessibility and mineral content of two Ribes species growing in Cumalikizik village, Bursa Türkiye

Abstract

The fruits of the genus Ribes, also known as currant or gooseberries, can be consumed both as processed and fresh. These berries’ health benefits have been well described in general but their biophysicochemical properties largely depend on geographical changes and genotype differences. Six Ribes genotypes including Ribes rubrum (RR1-RR4) and Ribes nigrum (RN1 and RN2) from Cumalikizik, Bursa were compared for their fruit properties, mineral content, and their bioaccessibility. Fruit characteristics were evaluated by analyzing fruit and seed number, soluble solids content (°Brix), fruit color properties, and pH. Potassium (K), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and magnesium (Mg) contents of fruits were determined using ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry). The results indicated that all Ribes genotypes were rich in K, Ca, and Mg content while they had relatively poor in Mn, Cu, and Zn content. Bioaccessibility of K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, or Zn was 85%, 84%, 63%, 30%, 50%, 37% or 44% respectively for two Ribes species. Significant differences were found between R. rubrum and R. nigrum genotypes in terms of fruit size and weight, bunch length, seed number, total soluble solids, pH and color, as well as Mn content and Zn accessibility. These data provide valuable information regarding the physicochemical properties, mineral content, and bioaccessibility of two currant species for breeding studies and show that the Ribes species is a good source of K, due both to its high content and considerable bioaccessibility. Further research should consider investigating the contents and bioaccessibilities of other nutritional factors that Ribes genotypes contain.