Eur Food Res Technol (2008) 226:817–824 DOI 10.1007/s00217-007-0601-4 123 ORIGINAL PAPER A survey of ellagitannin content in raspberry and blackberry cultivars grown in Trentino (Italy) Urska Vrhovsek · Lara Giongo · Fulvio Mattivi · Roberto Viola Received: 27 October 2006 / Revised: 24 January 2007 / Accepted: 18 February 2007 / Published online: 15 March 2007  Springer-Verlag 2007 Abstract This study describes the Wrst application of a new procedure for acid hydrolysis of Rubus ellagitannins in methanol, which allows quantiWcation of all the major reac- tion products (ellagic acid, methyl-sanguisorboate, methyl gallate and an unknown ellagic acid derivative) and estima- tion of the mean degree of polymerization (mDP) of Rubus ellagitannins. The ellagitannins of 21 raspberry and 15 blackberry cultivars produced in Trentino, Italy during 2005 were extracted and characterised. The total content of ellag- itannins was shown to vary by a factor of 2 among raspberry cultivars and by a factor of 4 among blackberry cultivars. Keywords Ellagitannins · Acid hydrolysis · Rubus · Raspberry · Blackberry Introduction There is consistent epidemiological evidence linking con- sumption of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables with a reduced incidence of cancer, coronary disease and neurological disor- ders. The protective eVects of dietary fruit and vegetables are attributed to their relatively high content of antioxidants, of which polyphenols are quantitatively the most signiWcant [1– 3]. Berries are amongst the richest sources of phenolic com- pounds in the human diet [3]. Some of the phenolic com- pounds found in berries are present in many other fruits and vegetables while others are speciWc to berries. Although anthocyanins are abundant in red raspberries and blackberries [3–4], in these berries ellagitannins are the main class of phe- nolic compounds [3–6]. The metabolism of ellagitannins in humans has been extensively investigated, and some of the pharmacological properties of their biomarkers, urolithins, have recently been characterised [7–8]. In view of the increasing consumer attention to the nutri- tional value of their diets, the antioxidant content of berries and in particular their phenolic proWle ought to be consid- ered as an important trait for breeding programmes. This implies a shift from traditional selection criteria focussed on yield, pest resistance and shelf life and the establishment of screening programmes that establish genotypic diVer- ences in species in relation to berry antioxidant composi- tion. Although some information is available on ellagitannins content and metabolism in raspberry [5], quantitative data on ellagitannins in other species e.g. blackberries are limited [9–11]. In this report we present data relative to the ellagitannins content in 21 raspberry and 15 blackberry cultivars. The cultivars investigated were chosen in order to have a bal- anced number of primocanes and Xoricanes of diVerent ori- gin and commercial importance for raspberries and potential market relevance for blackberries. Acid hydroly- sis of the ellagitannins in methanol was also carried out in order to quantify all the major reaction products (ellagic acid, methyl-sanguisorboate, methyl-gallate and an unknown ellagic acid derivate-derivative 1) and estimate their mean degree of polymerisation (mDP) [12]. Materials and methods Standards and solvents All chromatographic solvents were HPLC grade. Acetoni- trile, methanol and diethyl ether were purchased from U. Vrhovsek (&) · L. Giongo · F. Mattivi · R. Viola Agrifood Quality Department, IASMA Research Center, Via E. Mach, 1, 38010, San Michele all’Adige, Italy e-mail: urska.vrhovsek@iasma.it