Grapes are rich in primary and secondary metabolites. Among the secondary metabolites, polyphenolic compounds are the most abundant in grape berries. Besides their important impacts on grape and wine quality, this class of compounds has beneficial effects on human health. Due to their antioxidant activity, polyphenols and phenolic acids can act as anti-inflammatory and anticancerogenic agents, and can modulate the immune system. In grape berries, polyphenols and phenolic acids can be located in the pericarp and seeds, but distribution differs considerably among these tissues. Although some classes of polyphenols and phenolic acids are under strict genetic control, the final content is highly influenced by environmental factors, such as climate, soil, vineyard, and management. This review aims to present the main classes of polyphenolic compounds and phenolic acids in different berry tissues and grape varieties and special emphasis on their beneficial effect on human health.

Grapevine (Vitis spp.) is one of the most economically important temperate fruit crops. Grapevine breeding programs require access to high-quality Vitis cultivars and wild species, which may be maintained within genebanks. Shoot tip cryopreservation is a valuable technique for the safe, long-term conservation of Vitis genetic resources that complements traditional field and in vitro germplasm collections. Vitis is highly susceptible to virus infections. Virus-free plants are required as propagation material for clonally propagated germplasm, and also for the global exchange of grapevine genetic resources. Shoot tip cryotherapy, a method based on cryopreservation, has proven to be effective in eradicating viruses from infected plants, including grapevine. This comprehensive review outlines/documents the advances in Vitis shoot tip cryopreservation and cryotherapy that have resulted in healthy plants with high regrowth levels across diverse Vitis species.

In vitro plants that are free of pathogens are crucial for biotechnological breeding methods. The present study investigates the effects of sterilization with sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and the addition of Plant Preservative Mixture (PPM^TM) to the growth medium on pathogen elimination, germination, and seedling development of the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) variety Mara. The sterilization treatments differed in the duration of seed sterilization in 4% NaClO and the PPM concentration added to the growth medium. Pathogenic fungi of the genera Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Bipolaris were completely eliminated when the seeds were sterilized in NaClO and placed on growth media with the addition of PPM. Extending the duration of the sterilization treatment with NaClO to 50 min reduced Fusarium contamination, while the interaction between the 50 min sterilization treatment with NaClO and the addition of PPM to the growth medium reduced Alternaria contamination. Our results suggest that PPM could complement sterilization procedures with NaClO in the introduction of highly infected wheat seeds in vitro. Seed germination was not affected by sterilization with NaClO or by the addition of PPM. However, PPM at a concentration of 4 mL L⁻¹ had a negative effect on seedling development.

In the era of sustainable grapevine production, there is a growing demand to define differences between Vitis vinifera varieties in susceptibility to downy mildew. Croatia, as a country with a long tradition of grapevine cultivation, preserves a large number of native grapevine varieties. A leaf disc bioassay has been conducted on 25 of them to define their response to downy mildew, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) descriptor 452-1, together with the stress response of the leaf discs using chlorophyll fluorescence and multispectral imaging with 11 parameters included. Time points of measurement were as follows: before treatment (T₀), one day post-inoculation (dpi) (T₁), two dpi (T₂), three dpi (T₃), four dpi (T₄), six dpi (T₅), and eight dpi (T₆). Visible changes in form of developed Plasmopara viticola (P. viticola) sporulation were evaluated on the seventh day upon inoculation. Results show that methods applied here distinguish varieties of different responses to downy mildew. Based on the results obtained, a phenotyping model in the absence of the pathogen is proposed, which is required to confirm by conducting more extensive research.

Polyphenols are organic compounds that can be found in food, especially in fruits, vegetables, and their products. It was shown that their presence significantly affects the properties of food products and that the consumption of food rich in phenolic compounds has a beneficial effect on human health. The subjects of this research were polyphenols: anthocyanins, flavonols, and flavan-3-ols in the skin of grapevine variety Regent. Polyphenols from grape skins were extracted via microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) as unconventional and green techniques. Therefore, the main aim of this work was to optimize the conditions for the extraction of polyphenolic compounds from grape skin using MAE and MSPD. The extracts were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector and fluorescence detector. Analyses showed that MAE was a very effective method for extracting polyphenolic compounds from grape skin with 10 mL of 60% ethanol for 5 min at 40 °C. The best results for the MSPD extraction of polyphenolic compounds from grape skin were obtained with phenyl as an MSPD sorbent with 10 mL of acetonitrile:water 50:50 v/v as an elution solvent. This scientific research can be used for the better use of grapes as a basis for obtaining flavonoids for commercial purposes.