Sweet and sour cherries: Origin, distribution, nutritional composition and health benefits

Recovery of anthocyanins from sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) peels via microwave assisted extraction: monitoring the storage stability

Utilization of economical and environmental methods as an alternative process to recover the industrial crops and food products into high-added value compounds is of great significant. In the current study, microwave assisted extraction (MAE) was optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) in order to evaluate the waste of sour cherry as a source of phenolic compounds rich in anthocyanins. The process parameters (microwave power, irradiation time and ethanol solvent concentration) of MAE method were optimized by face centered composite design of RSM. Responses such as total phenolic componds (TPC), total anthocyanin (TA) contents and antioxidant capacity (DPPH) of extracts were measured spectrophotometrically after extractions of samples. The optimized result of MAE was 500 W of microwave power, 90 s of irradation time and 80% ethanol solvent concentration. Antioxidant capacity was tested using by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical. Chromatographic analysis (HPLC) was also used to measure the concentration of major anthocyanin (cyanidin-3-glucoside) of the samples. Maximum predicted TPC, TA and DPPH yields on optimized conditions were 44.15 mg-GAE/g-FM (mg- gallic acid equivalent per g- fresh matter), 12.47 mg-cyanidin-3-glucoside/g-FM and 69.90 (%, inhibition), respectively. A stability assay under different conditions (light, dark, ambient condition, refrigerator and deep freezer) has been also performed in order to display the stability of bioactivity profile. All of the process parameters were significant at the level of p < 0.0001.

Targets and mechanisms of dietary anthocyanins to combat hyperglycemia and hyperuricemia: a comprehensive review

Hyperglycemia and hyperuricemia are both metabolic disorders related to excessive amount of metabolites in blood, which are considered as high risk factors for the development of many chronic diseases. Enzymes, cells, tissues and organs, which are relevant to metabolism and excretion of glucose and UA, are usually regarded to be the targets in treatment of hyperglycemia and hyperuricemia. Several drugs have been commonly applied to combat hyperglycemia and hyperuricemia through various targets but with unignorable side effects. Anthocyanins have become promising alternatives against hyperglycemia and hyperuricemia because of their bio-activities with little side effects. Structurally different anthocyanins from berry fruits, cherries and purple sweet potato lead to the diverse functional activity and property. This review is aimed to illustrate the specific targets that are available for anthocyanins from berry fruits, cherries and purple sweet potato in hyperglycemia and hyperuricemia management, as well as discuss the structure-activity relationship, and the underlying mechanisms associated with intracellular signaling pathway, anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammation. In addition, the relationship of hyperglycemia and hyperuricemia, and the possibly regulative role of anthocyanins against them, along with the effects of anthocyanins in clinical trial are mentioned.

Chemical Composition of 21 Cultivars of Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus) Fruit Cultivated in Poland

Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) is a very important fruit crop for producers as well as consumers. To obtain information on sour cherry fruit, we determined the sugar and organic acid composition and phenolic compound contents of twenty-one cultivars and genotypes of Prunus cerasus L. by HPLC quantification. Antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH radical scavenging, reducing power (FRAP) and determination of substances reacting with Folin–Ciocalteu reagent (FCRS). The main organic acids in sour cherries were malic and malonic acids, and the main sugars were glucose and fructose. The highest sugar content was found in the “Lucyna” cultivar and the highest organic acids in “Paraszt Meggy” and “Suda Hardy”. The richest in phenolic compounds were “Wieluń 17”, “Sokówka Nowotomyska”, “Grosenkirch” “Sokówka Nowotomyska” “Grosenkirch” (anthocyanins, flavanols and total phenolics), and “Meteor” (phenolic acids). Flavan 3-ols were not quantified in every cultivar. “Dradem, “Turgieniewka”, “Wróble”, and “Nana” contained the smallest amounts of phenolic compounds. Antioxidant capacity was highly correlated with phenolic compound composition. According to principal component analysis (PCA), it was concluded that cultivars whose harvest maturity was medium to late contained more flavonols and anthocyanins and were characterized by higher antioxidant capacity than those whose harvest maturity was classified as early or early to medium.

Oxidative Stress in Rats is Modulated by Seasonal Consumption of Sweet Cherries from Different Geographical Origins: Local vs. Non-Local

Sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) are a source of bioactive compounds, including phenolic compounds, which are antioxidants that contribute to protection against oxidative stress. It is known that the composition of cherries is influenced by external conditions, such as the geographic origin of cultivation, and that biological rhythms have a significant effect on oxidative stress. Therefore, in this study, Fischer 344 rats were exposed to various photoperiods and were supplemented with Brooks sweet cherries from two different geographical origins, local (LC) and non-local (NLC), to evaluate the interaction of supplementation and biological rhythms with regard to the oxidative stress status. The results indicate that the two fruits generated specific effects and that these effects were modulated by the photoperiod. Consumption of sweet cherries in-season, independently of their origin, may promote health by preventing oxidative stress, tending to: enhance antioxidant status, decrease alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities, reduce liver malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and maintain constant serum MDA values and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.

Isolation, screening, identification and tolerance of yeast in cherry wine lees

In this study, yeast was isolated from cherry wine lees by rose Bengal medium, and its species was identified through three-stage screening, morphological observation and molecular biological identification. Moreover, the tolerance of screened strains was studied. The results showed that 30 strains of yeast were isolated from cherry wine lees, and five strains of yeast were selected, which were named YJN10, YJN16, YJN18, YJN19 and YJN28. After preliminary appraisal, strain YJN10 was Saccharomyces kudriavzevii, strain YJN16 was Saccharomyces paradoxus, and strains YJN18, YJN19, YJN28 were Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In the tolerance study, the tolerable sugar concentrations of the five strains were 650, 650, 550, 600 and 600 g/L. The tolerable alcohol volume fractions were 20, 20, 16, 18 and 18%. The tolerable molar concentration of potassium chloride was 1.8, 1.8, 1.5, 1.5 and 1.5 mol/L. Finally, strains YJN10, YJN16, YJN19 and YJN28 showed good tolerance, which laid a foundation for subsequent application in cherry wine fermentation.

Potential of UAS-Based Remote Sensing for Estimating Tree Water Status and Yield in Sweet Cherry Trees

The present work aims to assess the usefulness of five vegetation indices (VI) derived from multispectral UAS imagery to capture the effects of deficit irrigation on the canopy structure of sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium L.) in southeastern Spain. Three irrigation treatments were assayed, a control treatment and two regulated deficit irrigation treatments. Four airborne flights were carried out during two consecutive seasons; to compare the results of the remote sensing VI, the conventional and continuous water status indicators commonly used to manage sweet cherry tree irrigation were measured, including midday stem water potential (Ψs) and maximum daily shrinkage (MDS). Simple regression between individual VIs and Ψs or MDS found stronger relationships in postharvest than in preharvest. Thus, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), resulted in the strongest relationship with Ψs (r2 = 0.67) and MDS (r2 = 0.45), followed by the normalized difference red edge (NDRE). The sensitivity analysis identified the optimal soil adjusted vegetation index (OSAVI) as the VI with the highest coefficient of variation in postharvest and the difference vegetation index (DVI) in preharvest. A new index is proposed, the transformed red range vegetation index (TRRVI), which was the only VI able to statistically identify a slight water deficit applied in preharvest. The combination of the VIs studied was used in two machine learning models, decision tree and artificial neural networks, to estimate the extra labor needed for harvesting and the sweet cherry yield.

Novel insights in health-promoting properties of sweet cherries

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is one of the most popular and appreciated temperate fruit not only for its sensory and nutritional properties, but also for its content in bioactive compounds. Consumption of sweet cherries brings beneficial effects on to health, which include prevention and modulatory effects in several chronic diseases such as (diabetes mellitus, cancer, cardiovascular and other inflammatory diseases). The presence of natural polyphenolic compounds with high antioxidant potential might drive and partly explain such beneficial effects, but more translational and clinical studies should address this topic. Here, we review the health-promoting properties of cherries and their bioactive compounds against human diseases.

Simultaneous extraction optimization and characterization of pectin and phenolics from sour cherry pomace

In the present study, the effect of microwave-assisted extraction conditions on the simultaneous recovery of pectin and phenolic compounds from sour cherry pomace (SCP) was optimized. The results showed that maximum yield of pectin (14.65 ± 0.39%) and phenolic compounds (14.36 ± 0.29%) was obtained under microwave power of 800 W, irradiation time of 300 s, pH of 1.00 and LSR of 20 v/w. The resulting pectin under the mentioned conditions had the moisture, ash and protein content, and also total carbohydrates of ~8.32, ~3.73, ~1.41 and ~26.43%, respectively. Also, the obtained pectin with the molecular weight of 472.977 kDa and total phenol content of 91.54 ± 2.92 mg GAE/g pectin had a high purity (galacturonic acid content of ~72.86%) and suitable thermal stability (degradation temperature of 252.15 °C) and also could be classified as HMP (DE of 68.37 ± 2.78%). The FTIR, 1H NMR and XRD analysis indicated that the obtained sample was rich in esterified poly-galacturonic acid and had an amorphous structure. The phenolic compounds analysis showed that the SCP extract had a concentration-dependent antioxidant effect that was comparable with ascorbic acid and BHA at high concentrations.

Discovery and molecular characterization of a novel trichovirus infecting sweet cherry

Contigs with the highest sequence similarity (73%) to Apricot pseudo-chlorotic leaf spot virus (genus Trichovirus, family Betaflexiviridae) were identified by high-throughput sequencing from a symptomless sweet cherry accession. The complete genome sequence of this new virus is 7460 nucleotides, excluding the 3' poly(A) tail. Its genome organization is very similar to several trichoviruses infecting fruit trees, with three open reading frames encoding putative replicase, movement protein and coat protein (CP). The virus shares amino acid sequence identities of 60-73% at replicase and 53-76% at CP with other trichoviruses. Phylogenetic analyses group it and other trichoviruses in a cluster. These results support that this virus, which is tentatively named cherry latent virus 1, should be considered a new member in the genus Trichovirus.