Colour stability of blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum)juice

Forty blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L) genotypes, including cv Baldwin and cv Ben Lomond as standards, were assessed for juice processing qualities. Regression analyses showed no significant variation in the rate of loss of total pigments but significant variation in the rate of loss of individual major pigments. Genotypes with a high delphinidin to cyanidin ratio showed no greater colour stability than genotypes with low ratios, which indicated that the difference between the stability of the major pigments was not great enough to exert a stabilising effect on the total pigment concentration. The variation in total pigment concentration appeared to be the main factor contributing to the greater stability of cv Ben Lomond juice colour compared with cv Baldwin juice colour.