BRS XINGU CULTIVAR: A NEW BLACKBERRY CULTIVAR AS POTENTIAL BIOACTIVE COMPOUND
The blackberry stands out among other fruit for having high levels of bioactive compounds, which contribute to its high antioxidant capacity. Despite the presence of these bioactive in the fruit, variations in the total content of the phenolic compounds are frequent among different cultivars of the same species. Among cultivars of blackberries cultivated, the BRS Xingu cultivar was launched by Embrapa Clima Temperado in 2015, from the crossing between the Tupy and Arapaho (American) cultivars. It was developed with the purpose of prolonging the maturation time, and consequently the sugar content and increase productivity. Considering the need for individual characterization of cultivars and the lack of studies on blackberry fruit of the cultivar BRS Xingu in the national and international literature, this research aims to determine the phenolic and anthocyanin content of the fruit. In this study, blackberry (Rubus spp) fruit of the BRS Xingu cultivar, obtained in 2017, from Embrapa Clima Temperado (Pelotas - RS) were evaluated. The fruit wereharvested, frozen and then lyophilized. The extract of blackberry used in the analysis was obtained using water with 20% acetone and 0.35% formic acid, according to the literature (Bochi et al., 2015). The content of phenolic compounds was determined based on the methodology of Singleton, Orthofer, Lamuela-Raventos (1999), and the content of anthocyanins was according to the differential pH methodology described by Giusti and Wrolstad (2001). From the analysis carried out, BRS Xingu blackberry showed 429,75mg gallic acid 100g-1 fresh fruit and 130,80mg cyanidin 3-glycoside 100g-1 fresh fruit. These bioactive compound contents are similar to those of other blackberry cultivars which have already been studied, including by our research group. Therefore, the new cultivar BRS Xingu may be another option of blackberry available in the market.