Abstract
<jats:p>Background: The importance of our scientific studies on landrace forms of eggplant lies in the fact that for a wide circle of society, Armenian cuisine is distinguished by the abundance of the fruits of this plant. On farms across Armenia, one can find numerous ancient landrace varieties of this plant, distinguished by their unique qualities, organoleptic properties, and taste. Historical data show that the Armenian people have been cultivating ancient landrace forms of eggplant for approximately 350–400 years. Landraces, ancient varieties of eggplant, due to their excellent growth and fruiting properties, have spread across various soil and climatic conditions, and their fruits are used for fresh consumption, canning, drying, and the preparation of other products. They are rich in various biologically active substances. Objective: Study the content of vitamin C and anthocyanins in the fruits of locally valuable eggplant varieties. Methods: In our experiments, we used several genetic resources of the local valuable eggplant collection. The amounts of vitamin C and anthocyanins were determined by standard spectrophotometric methods. Results: Vitamin C in fresh eggplant fruits at the beginning of the harvest was 4.25 – 5.35 mg%, at the middle of the harvest – 6.25 – 7.35 mg%, at the end of the harvest – 6.15 – 7.85 mg%, and Anthocyanin at the beginning of the harvest was 3.25 – 6.32 (mass%), at the middle of the harvest – 6.63 – 7.18 (mass%), at the end of the harvest – 4.28 – 5.87 (mass%). Novelty and Innovative Announcements։ Our research was conducted for the first time and made it possible to obtain local, valuable forms of eggplant with high bioactive compounds for functional food. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that by crossing the best selected landraces with different eggplant varieties, we can create new varieties with high vitamin C and anthocyanin content. Scientific innovation։ The scientific innovation of the research lies in demonstrating that, to ensure the optimal synthesis of valuable biologically active compounds, such as vitamin C and anthocyanins, it is necessary to select high-quality eggplant genotypes. Since eggplant is a valuable functional food, the use of fortified foods made from it is beneficial for human health. Therefore, the data obtained from our scientific research on fresh and dried eggplants is important. From a scientific perspective, this will allow us to obtain and produce eggplant with high health properties. Practical implications: According to scientific research, selected landraces of eggplant (Yerevani bambak, Apagayi teghakan, Haykakan erkar, Haykakan sev, Teghakan sev, Teghakan khorovaci, Teghakan khaviari, Teghakan pahacoyi) are useful for breeders to breed new varieties rich in vitamin C and anthocyanins. The use of fresh and dried fruits from selected landraces as functional foods in the population’s diet contributes to improving health. Conclusion: Among the valuable local landrace forms Yerevani bambak, Apagayi teghakan, Haykakan erkar, Haykakan sev, Teghakan sev, Teghakan khorovaci, Teghakan khaviari, Teghakan pahacoyi stood out for their high content of vitamin C and anthocyanin. These are valuable forms for breeding new eggplant varieties and hybrids used as functional foods. Keywords: Eggplant; Landraces; Vitamin C; Anthocyanins; Functional food; Armenia</jats:p>