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ABTRACTOver the past 10 years, researchers have become increasingly interested in polyphenols. The main reason for this interest is the recognition of the antioxidant properties of polyphenols, their great abundance in our diet, and their probable role in the prevention of various diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases (51). Furthermore, polyphenols, which constitute the active substances found in many plants, modulate the activity of a wide range of enzymes and cell receptors (1). In this way, in addition to having antioxidant properties, polyphenols have several other specific biological actions that are poorly understood.Not all polyphenols are absorbed with equal efficiency. Knowledge of the bioavailability and metabolism of the various polyphenols is necessary in order to evaluate their biological activity within target tissues. The types and distribution of polyphenols in foods and the bioavailability of polyphenols are the topics of our knowledge. Several thousand molecules having a polyphenol structure have been identified in higher plants, and several hundred are found in edible plants. These molecules are secondary metabolites of plants and are generally involved in defense against ultraviolet radiation or aggression by pathogens. These compounds may be classified into different groups as a function of the number of phenols that they contain.This review aims to describe evidences for the effects of polyphenol consumption on health, and to specify which out of the hundreds of existing polyphenols are likely to provide the greatest protection in the context of preventive nutrition. If these objectives are to be attained, it is first essential to determine the nature and distribution of these compounds in fruits. Such knowledge will allow evaluation of polyphenol intake and enable epidemiologic analysis that will in turn provide an understanding of the relation between the intake of these substances and the risk of development of several diseases.

ABSTRACTThe genus Rubus contains a large number of highly variably and heterogeneous species, which occur in all parts of the world except the desert regions. Turkey has notable wild grown Rubus populations and these fruits are a traditional part of Turkish diet. The leaves and fruits of wild Rubus forms are used for medicinal purposes in Turkey as well. In the present study we attempted to characterize 11 wild selections and 1 well known red raspberry cultivar, Heritage by using fluorescent dyed AFLP markers and capillary electrophoresis. Four primer combinations generated a total of 259 bands, 182 (69.0%) of which were polymorphic. The higher genetic similarity was found between AH2 and AH3 genotypes. UPGMA clustering of the accessions showed seven major groups. The cultivar Heritage independently formed its own group. AFLP profiles suggesting that the wild genotypes might be derived from seedlings rather than through clonally offshoot propagation.

ABSTRACTThe international tendency for growing and production of small fruits shows a permanent increasing. Bulgaria is a traditional important producer of small berries in Europe. A large variety of small fruit products are wide spread and typical for Bulgarian nutriment. Aside with the growing demand in production of small fruit, there is an obvious tendency in food quality, breeding and technology requirements improvement. Breeding purposes comprise improvement of many traits, but selection of disease resistant cultivars, with higher yield and improved consumers properties such as fruit color, shape, smell and transportation ability are among the most important tasks.Recent progress in molecular analyses and agriculture biotechnologies has enormous impact on selection, technology, testing, preservation and processing of agricultural products. Metabolomics assay as a new dimension in these studies and practice focuses the attention on the biochemical contents of cells and tissues, and has a rapidly growing significance in knowledge of small fruits value for human health.Berry fruits are very rich sources of bioactive compounds as phenolics and organic acid. Bioactive berry compounds, their characterization and utilization in functional foods and clinical assessment of antimicrobial properties for human health are among the major targets of contemporary research. Phenolic compounds in berries inhibit the growth of range of human pathogens. Especially raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, crowberries showed evidence of antimicrobial effects against bacterial pathogens as Salmonella and Staphylococcus.The evaluation of small fruit genetic resources for the presence of bioactive compounds and their properties as natural agents is of doubtless significance and will be with great benefit for breeders, food and pharmaceutical industry.

ABSTRACTThis review focused on application a new biotechnology and molecular methods for preservation, evaluation and utilization of Plant Genetic Resources. The assessment of Bulgarian Small Fruits collections take up very important place in agro-horticultural crops with great significance for breeders. A number of strategies for collection, preservation and sustained use of genetic resources for agricultural productivity and food security were applicable. In vitro techniques offer the opportunity for in vitro collecting, rapid propagation, medium and long-term storage of germplasm and its distribution. The application of molecular markers will allow to selection of new perspective forms and including in future breeding programme.

ABSTRACTThe Bulgarian raspberry germplasm collection contains both Bulgarian and foreign varieties with valuable agronomic characters of commercial value. At present, mainly Bulgarian raspberry varieties are grown in Bulgaria with qualities famous in other European countries (Romania, Hungary, Poland, Russia etc.). The study of genetic diversity in the Bulgarian raspberry germplasm collection is mainly based on morphological descriptions. Morphological characteristics are important tools but they are not enough for evaluation of the genetic diversity due to the influence of environmental factors and low number of loci studied. The application of molecular markers should give an enable breeders to expand genetic diversity in breeding material and allow selection of new perspective forms in future breeding programmes. In this article we present our initial study on the assessment of genetic diversity among Bulgarian and foreign raspberry accessions using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSRs) markers. Sixteen raspberry cultivars (six Bulgarian, eight foreign and two wild accessions) were screened for their polymorphism at four loci using polymorphic microsatellite markers. The value determined for genetic variation demonstrated a high genetic diversity in the Bulgarian raspberry germplasm collection. Genetic diversity (GD) calculated from SSR data ranged from 0,740 to 0,887 with a mean GD- 0.839.