CHARACTERIZATION OF CORNELIAN CHERRY (Cornus mas L.) GENOTYPES - GENETIC RESOURCES FOR FOOD PRODUCTION IN CZECH REPUBLIC

The aim of the study was to determine and compare both technological properties and polyphenol content in fruits of eight cornellian cherry (Cornus mas L.) cultivars from Czech Republic. The fruits of cultivar 'Vydubeckij' had the highest dry matter (17.4%) and soluble solid (15.8%) content among searched cultivars. The highest crude protein and phosphorus values were determined in the fruits of the 'Titus' cultivar as 10.9 g of crude protein and 435 mg of phosphorus for per kg fresh weight (FW) base. The 'Elegantnyj' and 'Vydubeckij' cultivars are found to be more suitable for canning industry. The fruits of the 'Vydubeckij' cultivar contained 10.8 g of pectin and 22.4 g of citric acid per kg fresh weight base, and could be important for technological use because of their excellent gelling ability. 'Devin', 'Vydubeckij' and 'Titus' cultivars had the most valuable source of chlorogenic acid (135.6, 110.9 and 115.1 mg per 100 g FW, respectively) and quercetin (24.9, 25.2 and 24.2 mg per 100 g FW, respectively). This work should contribute to the popularization of this fruit specie as a valuable source of technological parameters for human nutrition and the canning industry.