Crna ribizla

The most aromatic part of the blackcurrant plant is, surprisingly, the bud. The plant was originally cultivated for its fruits, used to make juice or the liqueur crème de cassis. Blackcurrant is a traditional crop in the Burgundy region of France.

Ribes nigrum belongs to the family Grossulariaceae. Ribes nigrum is a medium-sized shrub, growing to 1.5 by 1.5 metres. All parts of the plant are strongly aromatic.

Habitat and Fruit

The blackcurrant is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, where it prefers damp fertile soils. It is winter hardy, but cold weather at flowering time in spring may reduce the size of the crop. Bunches of small, glossy black fruit develop along the stems in summer. The raw fruit is particularly rich in vitamin C and polyphenols. The fruit is made into jams, preserves and syrups, and is grown commercially for the juice market. It is also used to make alcoholic beverages. The leaves yield a yellow dye, and the fruit yields a blue or violet dye because of its rich anthocyanin content. Europe produces 99.1% of the world's blackcurrant crop, and two thirds of European production goes to the squash (cordial) industry.

Terroir and Harvest

Native to northern Europe, blackcurrant plants do not tolerate heat very well and prefer moderate and cold temperatures. 80-90% of the production of blackcurrants for perfumery comes from Burgundy. Harvesting begins at the end of November, with the first colds of the year, and continues throughout the winter until February. The plant must be dry to be picked, so it is harvested in the afternoon to avoid the morning dew. The plants are then cut and the buds separated from the branches.

Chemistry

The aroma extracts of the buds studied were mainly aliphatic terpenes (39-46 %) and oxygenated terpenes (35-38 %). Six blackcurrant cultivars grown in Lithuania were sorted into three chemotypes by their main essential oil compounds: sabinene, sigma-3-carene and terpinolene. Beta-caryophyllene, beta-phellandrene, cis-beta-ocimene, gamma-terpinene, terpinen-4-ol and limonene are other quantitatively important compounds in the aroma extracts. Among the compounds reported in blackcurrant buds for the first time in that work are 4-phenyl-1,3-thiazole, germacrene D-4-ol and aromadendrene oxide. The typical catty note is caused by a sulfurous trace constituent, 4-methoxy-2-methyl-2-butenethiol.

Bud Essential Oil

The unopened buds of blackcurrant are distilled for their essential oil for use in perfumery. The oil is obtained by steam distillation of the flower buds in approximately 0.75% yields. The aroma of the distilled oil is described as terpenic, nutmeg, neroli, basil and marjoram. Ribes nigrum buds are used in medicine for the diuretic and antiseptic properties of their volatile compounds. The essential oils of buds from three varieties showed a broad antibacterial spectrum in laboratory tests, acting against Acinetobacter baumanii, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.

History

Cultivation in Europe is thought to have started around the last decades of the 17th century. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that blackcurrant cultivation boomed, thanks to the high vitamin C content of the fruit and the high market demand for vitamin-rich products. The plant was introduced to North America by English settlers at the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1629.