The aim of this project is to develop methods for the extraction and stabilization of polyphenols from quince and persimmon fruit growing in Tajikistan. These compounds shall be employed as functional food ingredients and as natural antioxidants. Furthermore, flavonoid polyphenol may also be used as functional food additives. Flavonoids have been found to have health-related properties, including anticancer, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activities. It is believed that they act as scavengers of free radicals, as well as modulate the activities of metabolic enzymes involved in the initiation of low-density lipoprotein oxidation (e.g., xanthine oxidase, glutathione reductase, lipoxygenase, and NADPH-oxidase) and inhibit cellular proliferation. In addition, they have been implicated in the defense of plants against invading pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
The objects of this study are production of dietary supplements made from quince and persimmon grown in Tajikistan. The study of our collaborators on laboratory animals showed that the persimmon has lipid-lowering and anti-oxidant properties, which appear when the entire persimmon is added to the diet of rats fed cholesterol. These properties include persimmon to its water-soluble dietary fiber (pectin polysaccharides) and polyphenols. Additives persimmon to a balanced diet can be more efficient and economical than the consumption of certain antioxidants and minerals in protecting the body from various oxidative stress. The total antioxidant capacity of persimmon is more important than any individual specific antioxidant components. In addition, dietary fiber, phenols, epicatechin and gallic acid, p-coumaric, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, Mn, overall, persimmon higher than in other fruits. The content of the above compounds make persimmon preferable to prevent sclerotic effect.
The other aim of this project is to differentiate persimmon and quinces cultivars collection using molecular markers, study genetic diversity within samples collection and to establish relationship with their Antioxidant Activities. As quince and persimmon are considered as non processing fruit and are a principal source of phenolic compounds, it is important to evaluate the inheritance of their health-promoting traits for the development of elite genotypes. Diallel crossing is commonly adopted for evaluating parental lines for performance. It is an appropriate method for rapidly obtaining an overall picture of the genetic control of a trait in a set of inbred lines. This mating design has also been used elsewhere as a tool for evaluating genetic components underlying the inheritance of quantitative traits. To our knowledge, little information about the inheritance of antioxidants in various fruits is available and no studies have evaluated the genetic components of total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity in quince and persimmon fruits in Central Asia zone.
This project will be conducted in the framework of cooperation between research institutions of Tajikistan, Korea and Israel, aimed at improving local and regional understanding of the specific fruits, botanical and biochemical characteristics, the genetic relationships and dissemination of species and varieties of persimmon and quince in the participating countries.
