Currant (Ribes sp.) is a very important berry fruit species ranking the second, after strawberry, for its commercial production on a world scale. In Serbia, currant is unjustifiably neglected fruit species because Serbia has very favorable agro-climate conditions for its successful growing and market demands for this fruit are persistent. Sporadic cultivation on small size areas or individual holdings, resulting in low yields and poor quality fruit, does not meet the demands of domestic market. Therefore, the production of this high-profitable fruit species must be intensified, which is possible to achieve not only by planting orchards based on modern technology of fruit growing principles but also by introducing new varieties of high quality fruits. Currant cultivars, especially representatives of black currant, demonstrate potent anti-oxidative, antiinflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer activities due to the presence of phenolic compounds and vitamins in their fruits. Taking into account currant fruit species’ outstanding nutritional and medicinal properties as well as excellent production characteristics, the aim of investigations was to examine newly introduced cultivars of black, red and white currant and establish the suitability for their larger-scale cultivation in agro-ecological conditions of Serbia. The obtained results will be used to choose the cultivars with best properties to be recommended for exploitation in more intensive growing orchards covering larger production areas. Investigations predominantly focused on currant fruit biochemical properties and juices, and fatty oils quality from seeds of various cultivars was determined via essential fatty acids contents. Due to steady consumption needs for this fruit, analysis involved the effects of technological treatments (freezing and processing) on the contents and activities of polyphenolic components in them. Investigations were carried out in a currant collection orchard, the property of the “Omega” nursery (Mislodjin village, Obrenovacka Posavina), in the period 2007- 2009. The experimental orchard was planted in 2006, using the hedge system (a bush form), at 1.8 m of inter-row and 0.8 m intra-row spacing. Investigations comprised 29 currant cultivars (13 black currant cultivars, 11 red currant cultivars and 5 white currant cultivars). Laboratory analyses were performed at the Chair of Fruit Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Belgrade University, and at the Institute for Medicinal Plant Research “Dr. Josif Pancic’, Belgrade. During three-year studies, the following parameters were monitored: phenological properties of currant cultivars (date of the first leaf emergence, date of inflorescence emergence, date of initiation and full flowering, date of the first berry formed, date of fruit ripening – fruit harvest); vegetative growth potential of currant cultivars (number of newly formed sprouts per bush, dimensions, bush volume and weight removed by pruning); generative potential of currant cultivars (number of fruit buds per bush, number of newly formed inflorescences per fruit bud, number of inflorescences per bush, number of flowers in an inflorescence, per cent of fruit setting, cluster weight, cluster length, number of berries per cluster, berry weight, yield per bush and unit of area). Studies of currant fruit, juice and seed characterization involved the following compounds from a group of primary metabolites: contents of soluble dry matter, total and invert sugars, total acids and vitamin C. Studies of secondary metabolites included: contents of total phenols, total anthocyanins and individual aglicones of the anthocyanin as well as anti-oxidative activities of juices and quantitative and quantitative analysis of oils. Black currant cultivars entered statistically significantly earlier into the initial phenophases of vegetative growth compared to red currant and white currant cultivars (March, 6th and 22th). As vegetative growth progressed, the difference decreased between the dates of currant cultivars entering into later phenophases. Also, black currant cultivars had higher vegetative growth potential. A representative picture of the studied varieties’ vigor was indicated by the values of bush volume and bush weight removed by pruning. Average value of bush volume in black currant varieties amounted to 0.52 m3 and in red and white currants to 0.38 m3. According to bush volume, about 40% of black currant varieties had vigorous and very vigorous bush, while in red and white currants such vigor was exhibited by 12% of studied cultivars only. At the same time, the weight of sprouts and stems discarded by pruning from black currant bush was by about 70% higher than the weight of sprouts and stems removed from red and white currant cultivars. Taking into account all parameters of vegetative growth potential, red currant cultivars can be grown in the densest spacing, which additionally increases their production value per unit of cultivation area. Compared to black currant cultivars, the cultivars of red and white currant possessed higher generative potential: they formed a higher number of fruit buds/bush (204.30 : 129.86), inflorescences/bush (204.30 : 175.93), flowers in an inflorescence (20.19 : 9.51) and flowers/bush (4124.82 : 1673.09). Also, values of the majority of parameters for realizing generative potential level were higher than in black currant cultivars. Consequently, red and white currant cultivars produced considerably higher average yields (1.83 kg/bush and 12.71 t/ha). The fruits of black currant varieties had better nutritional and anti-oxidative properties compared to the fruits of red and white currant cultivars, which is reflected in significantly higher contents of soluble dry matter (14.09% : 11.35%) and total sugars (by approx. 20%). The most prominent difference between studied groups of cultivars was found in vitamin C contents. The fruits of red currant cultivars had 2.6 times higher contents of vitamin C than red and white currant fruits. As for total phenol contents, the values were by 2.1 times higher than in fruits of red and white currant cultivars, and ranged from 137.6 mg GAE/100g in cv. Bona to 278.9 mg GAE/100g in cv. Ometa. The contents of total anthocyanins were 5.6 times higher in black currant cultivars than in red currant cultivars, and delphinidin was the most present aglicone of the anthocyanin, while cyanidin was that in fruits of red currant cultivars. In juices produced from fruits of studied currant cultivars a decline in the contents of total phenols was recorded ranging from 44.11 - 76.02% in black currant cultivars and from 37.2 – 68.62% in cultivars of red and white currant. Preservation of fruits and juices in a frozen state at -200C during a one-year period caused qualitative and quantitative changes in their chemical composition and exhibited anti-oxidative activities. The levels of those changes were primarily determined by the cultivars’ genetic basis. Namely, the contents of total phenols were increased and the contents of total anthocyanins were decreased in the fruits of all black currant cultivars, while total phenols were decreased in white currant cultivars. In the fruits of four red currant cultivars a higher content of total phenols was registered, but it was lower in all other cultivars. However, increase of the contents of total anthocyanins was found in all red currant cultivars. In juices of all studied currant cultivars, kept in a frozen state, total phenol contents were increased. Black currant juices exhibited the most expressed antioxidative activity (IC50 value of 1.9 mg/ml in cv. Ben Lomond to 4.0 mg/ml in cv. Ojebin), then red currant juices (IC50 value of 1.9 mg/ml in cv. Redpul to 12.3 mg/ml in cv. Slovakia) and, lastly, white currant juices (IC50 value of 3.48 mg/ml in cv. Primus to 9.94 mg/ml in cv. White Champagne). Therefore, the lowest amount of juice from black currant cultivars and the highest amount of juice from white currant cultivars is needed to neutralize free radicals. In general, fruits and juices of black currant cultivars demonstrated considerably better quality nutritional properties and higher anti-oxidative capacity compared to the cultivars of red and white currant. Fruit processing into juices caused reduction of secondary metabolites content in them, except for total anthocyanins content in seven red currant cultivars. Preservation of fruits and juices in a frozen state increased the content of total phenols, in some cases as high as 171.8%. During preservation, total anthocyanins content decrease was registered in black currant cultivars, however its increase in red currant cultivars. After freezing, juices obtained from black currant cultivars and six red currant cultivars had higher anti-radical activity. Higher content of fatty oils was found in the seeds of black currant cultivars, but red and white currant cultivars had more favorable composition of essential fatty acids. A comprehensive analysis of currant cultivars grown in the Obrenovacka Posavina agro-ecological conditions proved that the best production, nutritional and anti-oxidative properties are shown by black currant cultivars: Bona, Ben Sarek, Tsema and Ometa; red currant cultivars: Јunifer, Rondom and Redpoll, and white currant cultivar Primus. Ribizla (Ribes sp.) je veoma značajna vrsta jagodastih voćaka, koja se po obimu proizvodnje u svetskim razmerama nalazi na drugom mestu, odmah iza jagode. U Srbiji je ribizla neopravdano zapostavljena vrsta, iako postoje izuzetno pogodni agroklimatski uslovi za njeno uspešno gajenje i konstantna tražnja na tržištu za ovim voćem. Sporadično gajenje na malim površinama ili okućnicama, praćeno niskim prinosima i lošijim kvalitetom ploda, ne zadovoljava potrebe domaćeg tržišta. Stoga, nameće se potreba za intenziviranjem proizvodnje ove visokorentabilne vrste voćaka, a to je moguće ostvariti ne samo podizanjem zasada po principu mo