COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONTENT OF A NUMBER OF BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES IN KIWI FRUITS

The content of biologically active substances in new promising varieties of kiwi breeding of the Research Institute of Agriculture of the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia is considered. A spectrophotometric method for determining biologically active substances (anthocyanins, photosynthetic pigments, polyphenols) was used, which is based on determining the optical density of the solution of the analyzed substances at certain wavelengths. The aim is to analyze the varietal specification of kiwi fruits for the accumulation of biologically active substances such as pigments (anthocyanins, chlorophyll and carotenoids) and polyphenols in them. Five main groups of anthocyanins were quantified in fruits, and a significant excess of the amounts of this class of pigments was noted in the cv. Pobeditel (the amount of anthocyanins was 375.46 mg/100 g at 122.85–170.01 mg/100 g in the remaining varieties; LSD05 = 9.34). The predominant group of anthocyanin pigments in kiwi fruits is pelargonidin-3-glucoside, the content of which in varieties is in the range of 26.43 mg/100 g (cv. Slava) – 79.00 mg/100 g (cv. Pobeditel). The content of chlorophylls and carotenoids was determined, the greater amount of which accumulates in the fruits of the cv. Otkhara (1.58 mg/100 g of chlorophyll and 0.37 mg/100 g of carotenoids) and cv. Gulripshsky (1.58 and 0.23 mg/100 g, respectively). The amount of polyphenols synthesized in fruits has been established. The cv. Pobeditel and cv. Gulripshsky are the most rich in phenolic components (1576.5–1582.6 mg/100 g). The data of biochemical analyses showed the prospects of three new golden varieties without pubescence: Pobeditel, Gulripshsky and Otkhara. The results obtained will be used in further breeding work to obtain varieties that are the richest in biologically active substances of an antioxidant nature, and are of undoubted interest to the consumer.