AN OUTLINE ON THE UTILIZATION VALUE OF CHINESE BRAMBLE(RUBUS L.)

The utilization value of Rubus plants as fruit germplasm resources and medicinal plant, and utilization potential of pigment and flavor constituents in the fruit is reported in this paper.According to the studies on horticultural purpose, 23 species and 4 varieties are considered as excellent resources for breeding of raspberry and blackberry.Some species with high fruit quality and vast reserves can be used directly for fresh market or proccessing.Forty five species and 4 varieties are used as medicinal plants for more than 40 diseases.Investigation on the physical and chemical properties, stabilities and components of the pigments extracted from the fruits of R.tephrodes Hance, R.lambertianus Ser., R.hirsutus Thunb.and cultivated blackberry reveals that the pigments in bramble fruit can be extracted more readily with alcohol than with water.Their anthocyanidins including cyanidin, pelargonidin, delphinidin as well as their glycosides are the principal pigments in the fruits of bramble, of which, cyanidin, delphinidin and their glycosides are the main pigments in purple red-purple black colored fruits whereas cyanidin, pelargonidin and their glycosides are the main pigments in orange red-bright red colored fruits.Some flavonoids exist in bramble fruits also. R.tephrodes Hance and R.lambertianus Ser.be considered good natural resources of edible pigments because of the good color and stability.Their anthocyanidins study on the flavor in fruit resulted that 83, 21, 29 and 51 flavorous components have been identified from the fruits of R.hirsutus Thunb., R.chingii Hu, R.lambertianus Ser.and cultivated blackberry by GC MCrespectively, among them, methoxy, sec ethyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethyl formate, α pinene, β pinene, camphene, junipene, limonene, p cymene, linalool and terpinol are regarded as the key flavorous components causing the peculiar smell and taste in the fruits of bramble.