POMOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS, ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY AND ELLAGIC ACID IN RASPBERRY (Rubus idaeus L.)

Consumption of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of developing chronic-degenerative diseases, due to their high content of bioactive substances. During 2013-2014 fruits of raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cvs. Adelita, Erika, Lupita and Polka, were harvested at Michoacan and Jalisco, Mexico to determine color (L*, a*, b*, C* and h*), firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), juice pH, antioxidant capacity (AC) and ellagic acid concentration (EA). As a result, it was found that all the physical and chemical variables, except for AC, showed significant differences at different harvesting times. Regression analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of monthly average temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) of the sites, and a positive significant relationship was found between average T and TSS, pH, EA, and AC, but negative and significant between T and TA. RH only had negative effect on firmness and TSS. Significant differences were observed in EA concentrations among cultivars. Fruits harvested in June and October presented higher concentrations of EA. The highest EA concentration was found in Erika (3.69 mu g g(-1) fresh fruit weight), while the lowest concentration was found in Adelita (2.26 mu g g(-1)). The antioxidant capacity of all cultivars was greater than 60 %, which is acceptable for neutralization of free radicals.