BioProject

Maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis [Molina] Stuntz) is an evergreen shrub native species of Central and South regions of Chile. More...

Maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis [Molina] Stuntz) is an evergreen shrub native species of Central and South regions of Chile. This plant, produce a small edible purple/black berries which present a high antioxidant capacity, this beneficial property is attributed to the elevated concentration of Flavonoids in this berry. Recent researches associate Maqui berry with beneficial effects to human health, related to the high polyphenol content as well as to their unusual high concentration of glycosylated forms of flavonoids like delphinidin and cyanidin.

Flavonoids are the principal secondary metabolites, mainly responsible for the antioxidant activity, synthesized by the maqui berry specifically in the form of anthocyanins that confer a characteristic purple and dark pigmentation to the fruits during their ripening process.

Although the phytochemical research information is related to its attributes, until now there is limited information associated with omics study in known databases about Maqui berry or a chilean native plant, thereby supporting the recent interest of the food industry and research in AgriGenomics, for the production of functional foods with beneficial properties to health. The next-generation sequencing (NGS) and methods of bioinformatic analysis allowed the assembly of Maqui genome. This study provides a draft genome for the future study of the metabolic pathways responsible for its high antioxidant capacity. Less...