Jam processing and storage effects on blueberry polyphenolics and antioxidant capacity

Proanthocyanidins and volatile aroma of cranberry juice are modulated by its microbiota and processing environment

The quality and sensory attributes of juices are influenced by their natural microbiota and the microorganisms found on filtration membranes. This study aimed to assess the influence of natural microbiota and specific contaminants, including Candida krusei, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Debaryomyces prosopidis, Ralstonia insidiosa, and Lactiplantibacillus paraplantarum, isolated from cranberry juice and its associated industrial filtration membranes, on the characteristics of cranberry juice. Their growth kinetics and impacts on total phenols, total anthocyanins, total proanthocyanins, total organic acids, pH, titratable acidity, and volatile compounds were assessed. During the 42 h fermentation period, Candida krusei and Ralstonia insidiosa exhibited significant growth, increasing by 1-log and 3-log, respectively. The natural microbiota led to a 7% and 6% reduction in anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, while Candida krusei and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa caused losses of 10% and 7% in proanthocyanidins, respectively. Organic acid content remained stable, except for an 8% decrease caused by Ralstonia insidiosa. Volatile compounds underwent significant increases, particularly in green (703%), winey (100%), mushroom (306%), and fusel (2678%) notes. These findings underscore the rapid impact of microorganisms from natural microbiota and filtration membranes on cranberry juice characteristics, highlighting the importance for beverage industries to prioritize customer safety and satisfaction.

Foodomics uncovers functional and volatile metabolite dynamics in red raspberry chewable tablet optimized processing

Raspberries are known to contain valuable metabolites and possess a robust antioxidant capacity. However, the impact of different tablet processing stages on the nutritional content and flavor profile of raspberries remains unclear. The dynamic profile of functional and volatile metabolites was investigated through foodomics combined with UPLC-MS/MS-based widely targeted metabolomics and HS-SPME-GC-MS, and antioxidant capacities were assessed during tablet processing. 1336 functional metabolites and 645 volatile metabolites were identified. Results indicated tablets retained 34% ∼ 61% of the total volatile contents. In addition, the conversion intensity of functional metabolites was consistent with the order of "Tableting > Freeze-drying > Crushing". Compared to raspberry, tablets showed higher antioxidant activity, which was positively correlated with vitamin contents. This study elucidated that tablet formation demonstrated advantages in antioxidation and aroma retention, which may provide insights for enhancing quality during the tableting process.

Monitoring effects on anthocyanins, non-anthocyanin phenolics and ORACFL values of Colombian bilberry (V. meridionale Swartz) during pulping and thermal operations

Processing of berries usually degrades anthocyanin and non-anthocyanin phenolics and diminishes antioxidant activity. In Colombia, jelly produced from the fruit of Vaccinium meridionale Swartz is a popular product among consumers. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of jelly processing steps on bioactive components. Analysis of anthocyanins (ACNs) and non-anthocyanin phenolics was performed via HPLC-PDA. Antioxidant activity was assessed by the ORACFL method. The pulping step had the highest impact on ACNs, whose total content was significantly higher in the pomace (747.6 ± 59.2 mg cyanidin 3-glucoside (cyn 3-glu)/100 g) than in the pulp (102.7 ± 8.3 mg cyn 3-glu/100 g). Similarly, pulping caused a significant decrease in flavonols, procyanidins (PACs) and ORACFL values. Despite the effects of processing, Colombian bilberry jelly can be considered a good source of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activity. The final concentration of ACNs, hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) and flavonols, as well as the ORACFL values in this product were comparable to those of fresh cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos) and black currant (Ribes nigrum). The results also suggest that the pomace of V. meridionale can be recovered as an excellent source of bioactive compounds.

Stability of Phenolic Compounds, Antioxidant Activity and Color Parameters in Colored-Flesh Potato Chips

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) chips are the most consumed snacks worldwide today. Colored potato chips prepared from potato cultivars with red and purple flesh are a novel alternative to traditional potato chips because of their higher phenolic compound content, such as anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (HCADs), which might make these chips healthier compared with traditional chips. There is little information on the stability of these compounds. In this study, the nutritional value of these chips was evaluated by determining phenolic profiles, antioxidant activity and color parameters with liquid chromatography diode array and mass spectrometry detection (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS) and spectrophotometric methods during storage for four months. Five anthocyanins and three HCADs were detected, with the latter compounds being the most abundant, with concentrations on average between the first (97.82 mg kg-1) and the last (31.44 mg kg-1) week of storage. Similar trends were observed in antioxidant activity and stability, with the CUPRAC method showing the highest response among all the methods employed. The color indices were stable throughout the storage time. Based on these results, colored-flesh potato chips are an optimal alternative for consumption because of their high retention of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity during storage, providing potential benefits to human health.

Effect of Storage Time on the Physical, Chemical, and Rheological Properties of Blueberry Jam: Experimental Measurements and Artificial Neural Network Simulation

Reversible data hiding (RDH) is crucial in modern data security, ensuring confidentiality and tamper-proofness in various industries like copyright protection, medical imaging, and digital forensics. As technology advances, RDH techniques become essential, but the trade-off between embedding capacity and visual quality must be heeded. In this paper, the relative correlation between the pixel's local complexity and its directional prediction error is employed to enhance an efficient RDH without using a location map. An embedding process based on multiple cumulative peak region localization (MCPRL) is proposed to hide information in the 3D-directional prediction error histogram with a lower local complexity value and avoid the underflow/overflow problems. The carrier image is divided into three color channels, and then each channel is split into two non-overlapping sets: blank and shadow. Two half-directional prediction errors (the blank set and the shadow set) are constructed to generate a full-directional prediction error for each color channel belonging to the host image. The local complexity value and directional prediction error are critical metrics in the proposed embedding process to improve security and robustness. By utilizing these metrics to construct a 3D stego-Blank Set, the 3D stego-shadow Set will be subsequently constructed using the 3D blank set. The proposed technique outperforms other state-of-the-art techniques in terms of embedding capacity, image quality, and robustness against attacks without an extra location map. The experimental results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for various 3D RDH techniques.

Employ of Anthocyanins in Nanocarriers for Nano Delivery: In Vitro and In Vivo Experimental Approaches for Chronic Diseases

Anthocyanins are among the best-known phenolic compounds and possess remarkable biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic effects. Despite their therapeutic benefits, they are not widely used as health-promoting agents due to their instability, low absorption, and, thus, low bioavailability and rapid metabolism in the human body. Recent research suggests that the application of nanotechnology could increase their solubility and/or bioavailability, and thus their biological potential. Therefore, in this review, we have provided, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of in vitro and in vivo studies on nanocarriers used as delivery systems of anthocyanins, and their aglycones, i.e., anthocyanidins alone or combined with conventional drugs in the treatment or management of chronic diseases.

Disaccharide Type Affected Phenolic and Volatile Compounds of Citrus Fiber-Blackberry Cream Fillings

The food industry is continuously developing ingredients, processing methods and packaging materials to improve the quality of fruit products. The aim of this work was to study the possibility of using citrus fiber in the preparation of blackberry cream fillings in combination with disaccharides (sucrose, maltose and trehalose). Evaluations of the phenolics, proanthocyanidins, antioxidant activity, color and volatiles of blackberry cream fillings were conducted after preparation and after three months of storage. Blackberry cream fillings were prepared from citrus fiber (5%), blackberry juice and disaccharides (50%). Disaccharide type had an effect on all investigated parameters. The highest phenol content was in fillings with trehalose (4.977 g/100 g) and the lowest was in fillings prepared with sucrose (4.249 g/100 g). The same tendency was observed after storage. Fillings with maltose had the highest proanthocyanidins content (473.05 mg/100 g) while fillings with sucrose had the lowest amount (299.03 mg/100 g) of these compounds. Regarding volatile compounds, terpenes and aldehydes and ketones were evaluated in the highest concentration. Terpenes were determined in the highest concentration in fillings with trehalose (358.05 µg/kg), while aldehydes and ketones were highest in fillings with sucrose (250.87 µg/kg). After storage, concentration of volatiles decreased. These results indicate that the selection of adequate disaccharides is very important since it can influence the final quality of the product.

Optimization of a Novel Method Based on Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction for the Quantification of Anthocyanins and Total Phenolic Compounds in Blueberry Samples (Vaccinium corymbosum L.)

In recent years, consumers' preference for fruits such as blueberry has increased noticeably. This fact is probably related to their bioactive components such as anthocyanins, phenolic compounds, vitamins, minerals, and tannins that have been found in blueberries by the latest research studies. Both total anthocyanins (TA) and total phenolic compounds (TPC) are known for their multiple beneficial effects on our health, due to their anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-cancer properties. This is the reason why the development of new methodologies for the quality control analysis of raw materials or derived products from blueberry has a great relevance. Two ultrasound-assisted extraction methods (UAE) have been optimized for the quantification of TA and TPC in blueberry samples. The six variables to be optimized were: solvent composition, temperature, amplitude, cycle, extraction solvent pH, and sample/solvent ratio using response surface methodology. The optimized methods have proven to be suitable for the extraction of the TPC and TA with good precision (repeatability and intermediate precision) (coefficient of variation (CV) < 5%) and potentially for application in commercial samples. This fact, together with the multiple advantages of UAE, makes these methods a good alternative to be used in quality control analysis by both industries and laboratories.

Effect of sweeteners and storage on compositional and sensory properties of blackberry jams

Sweeteners of natural sources, such as sugar alcohols, are in the centre of growing interest. Their impact on the phytochemicals, antioxidant and sensory properties of blackberry jams were investigated during a 9-months storage period. Measurements on jams prepared with different sugars and sugar alcohols (sucrose, fructose, xylitol and erythritol) were performed at the date of preparation and in the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th month.

Total polyphenol content, individual polyphenols, antioxidant properties, anthocyanin content and CIE L*a*b* colour were determined. Sensory profiles were determined by a trained panel. Sensory attributes were compared by the results of the electronic tongue and nose.

Sweeteners had a significant impact on physicochemical properties and sensory attributes. Storage time also affected the sensory and compositional properties of jams. Changes in antioxidant properties did not follow a clear trend during the storage period, and antioxidant capacity was not affected significantly by the sweetening agent, but showed a significant decline from the 6th month. A positive effect of xylitol was observed in terms of a low degradation rate of anthocyanins, while their decomposition was the fastest in the fructose-containing preparation. Jams sweetened with erythritol reached significantly lower values for some sensory attributes (blackberry flavour and general taste intensity), however, they showed more intense red colour. Multiple factor analysis enabled the identification of the effect of sweetener and storage time on the pattern of the sensory data matrix. Classification according to individual sweeteners was performed successfully by the electronic tongue, but not by electronic nose.

Copigmentation effect of three phenolic acids on color and thermal stability of Chinese bayberry anthocyanins

The copigmentation effects of three phenolic acids (ferulic acid, sinapic acid, and syringic acid) on the color and thermal stability of Chinese bayberry anthocyanins were investigated. The three copigments of ferulic acid, sinapic acid, and syringic acid were found to have significant effects on the color enhancement of bayberry anthocyanins (p < .05). The maximum absorption wavelength of the anthocyanin aqueous solution exhibited a bathochromic shift, L* decreased, and a* increased with the increase in the molar ratio of copigments. The thermal stability of bayberry anthocyanins was significantly improved after copigmentation. No new anthocyanin derivatives appeared after copigmentation. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH, ΔS) of the three processes were all negative, indicating the three copigmentations were generally spontaneous and exothermic. The equilibrium constant (K) of the sinapic acid group was the greatest among the three phenolic acids, indicating that sinapic acid was more effective in stabilizing the anthocyanins.

Changes in Polyphenolics during Storage of Products Prepared with Freeze-Dried Wild Blueberry Powder

Wild blueberry (WBB) powder can be added to the formulation of foods to encourage consumption of health-promoting polyphenolics, but the stability of polyphenolics throughout storage is important. We determined the stability of polyphenolics in five products (ice pop, oatmeal bar, graham cracker cookie, juice, and gummy product) prepared with WBB powder. Samples stored at 21 °C, 4.4 °C, or −20 °C (ice pops only) were analyzed at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks for polyphenolic content and percent polymeric color. Total anthocyanins decreased over storage and storage temperatures in all products. However, the ice pop and the refrigerated juice both retained over 90% of their initial total anthocyanin content. The refrigerated oatmeal bar also showed good retention of anthocyanins (86%), but the gummy product retained only 43% and 51% when stored at 4.4 °C or 21 °C, respectively. The lower amount of polyphenolic compounds recovered in the gummies stored at 4.4 °C compared to 21 °C may be attributed to reduced extraction efficiency as a result of gel hardening at refrigerated temperature. Chlorogenic acid and flavonols were generally more stable than anthocyanins throughout storage.

Recent Research on the Health Benefits of Blueberries and Their Anthocyanins

Awareness of the human health benefits of blueberries is underpinned by a growing body of positive scientific evidence from human observational and clinical research, plus mechanistic research using animal and in vitro models. Blueberries contain a large number of phytochemicals, including abundant anthocyanin pigments. Of their various phytochemicals, anthocyanins probably make the greatest impact on blueberry health functionality. Epidemiological studies associate regular, moderate intake of blueberries and/or anthocyanins with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, death, and type 2 diabetes, and with improved weight maintenance and neuroprotection. These findings are supported by biomarker-based evidence from human clinical studies. Among the more important healthful aspects of blueberries are their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions and their beneficial effects on vascular and glucoregulatory function. Blueberry phytochemicals may affect gastrointestinal microflora and contribute to host health. These aspects have implications in degenerative diseases and conditions as well as the aging process. More evidence, and particularly human clinical evidence, is needed to better understand the potential for anthocyanin-rich blueberries to benefit public health. However, it is widely agreed that the regular consumption of tasty, ripe blueberries can be unconditionally recommended.

Phytochemical Characterization of Commercial Processed Blueberry, Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Cranberry, and Raspberry and Their Antioxidant Activity

Being delicious and containing strong disease-fighting agents, berries represent an increasing proportion of fruits consumed nowadays in our diet. However, berries are highly perishable as fresh and, therefore, they are usually processed into various products to extend their shelf-life and availability throughout the year. Among the fruit-containing products, jam is one of the most common due to its nourishing properties, its low production costs, and its accessibility for a lengthy period. Rather than home preparation, consumers nowadays increasingly prefer to purchase commercial jams from markets due to its convenience. Although fresh berries have been extensively studied for their phenolic compounds, a limited number of studies investigating commercially manufactured jams have been conducted so far. Considering this, the objective of this study was to assess the total phenolic, flavonoid, and anthocyanin content and the antioxidant activity of five commonly consumed commercial berry jams (blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) and blackcurrant (Ribes nigrun) mixture, blackcurrant (Ribes nigrun), cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) and raspberry (Rubus idaeus)) collected from the market. Even though a possible loss of phenolics, anthocyanins, and a decrease of radical scavenging activity may occur during jam processing and subsequent storage, our data indicated that the selected commercial jams remained good sources of nutritive molecules with antioxidant properties based on the high levels of total phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and elevated antioxidant activities determined in this study. Additionally, the samples were characterized by GC-MS for their volatile profiles, and terpenes were found to be the dominating class covering more than 74% of volatile compounds in the jams.

Stability of Anthocyanins, Phenolics and Color of Tart Cherry Jams

The aim of this work was to assess the effect of a set storage period on the phenolics, anthocyanins, antioxidant activity, color, and texture of three types of jams made from tart cherry. The prepared samples of tart cherry jams were: (1) regular jam; (2) extra jam; and (3) light jam. The samples were stored at room temperature for eight months. Results of the investigated parameters after storage were compared with the results after sample preparations, and between the different jam samples. The light jam had the highest phenolic content and anthocyanin content (3.34 g/kg and 985.52 mg/kg). Consequently, the light jam had the highest antioxidant activity determined by ABTS (2,2’-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline sulfonic acid)) and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil) method. After storage, the highest retention of the phenolics had regular jam and extra jam (85%), while the lowest retention (74%) were found in the light jam. Anthocyanin stability was the highest in the regular jam, then the extra jam (15%), and then the light jam, with retention of 22%, 15%, and 12%, respectively. Color parameters and textural parameters also depended on jam type, as well as on storage conditions. Since the investigated types of jams differed in content of fruit and water, these are the most important factors that cause the change in the retention of phenolics and anthocyanins, as well as a change in color and textural parameters.

Grape peel (Syrah var.) jam as a polyphenol-enriched functional food ingredient

In this study, we evaluated the effects of the storage time on the physicochemical properties, bioactive compound content, and antioxidant capacity of jam prepared from grape peel extract to explore its potential as a supplementary food and/or functional ingredient. The ethanolic extract from Syrah var. grape peel exhibited high bioactive compound concentrations and antioxidant activity. The jam stability (prepared with 8.9% of extract) at 14°C was evaluated at 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 days. The jam was found to contain high concentrations of polyphenolic compounds (137.0 ± 3.2 mg of gallic acid equivalent/100 g), total flavonoids (128.5 ± 23.0 mg of equivalent/100 g), and total anthocyanins (92.5 ± 4.0 mg of cyanidin equivalent/100 g). However, a large reduction in the flavonoid (70%-90%), anthocyanin (29%-35%), and phenolic (23%-30%) content was observed during storage. The free radical-scavenging activity (DPPH-), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and β-carotene-linoleic acid assays revealed the great antioxidant potential of the jam prepared from grape peel extract, which exhibited significant levels of radical-neutralizing activity, especially as determined by the DPPH method with EC50 values ranging from 2.3 ± 0.1 to 3.9 ± 0.1 µg/ml. High R 2 values (p > 0.90) were obtained for the correlation between the DPPH results and the concentrations of the compounds of interest. In summary, the high bioactive compound contents and antioxidant capacity of the jam produced from grape peel suggest that it may provide health benefits as a source of natural antioxidants upon incorporation to several food industry products.

Time-Dependent Degradation of Polyphenols from Thermally-Processed Berries and Their In Vitro Antiproliferative Effects against Melanoma

Polyphenols are natural occurring micronutrients that can protect plants from natural weathering and are also helpful to humans. These compounds are abundantly found in fruits or berries. Because of berry seasonal availability and also due to their rapid degradation, people have found multiple ways to preserve them. The most common options are freezing or making jams. Polyphenol stability, during processing is a continuous challenge for the food industry. There are also multiple published data providing that they are sensitive to light, pH or high temperature, vectors which are all present during jam preparation. In this context the aim of this study was to assess phytochemical composition and bioactive compounds degradation after jam preparation. We also monitored their degradation during storage time and their in vitro antiproliferative potential when tested on melanoma cells. The obtained results revealed that when processed and stored in time, the bioactive compounds from berries jams are degrading, but they still exert antioxidant and antiproliferative potential. Prior to LC-MS analysis, polyphenolic compounds were identified as: flavonoids (anthocyanins (ANT), flavonols (FLA)) and non-flavonoid (hydroxycinnamic acids (HCA) and hydroxybenzoic acids (HBA)). The most significant decrease was observed for HCA compared to other classes of compounds. This variation is expected due to differences in constituents and phenolic types among different analyzed berries.

Processing black mulberry into jam: effects on antioxidant potential and in vitro bioaccessibility

BACKGROUND

Black mulberries (Morus nigra) were processed into jam on an industrialised scale, including the major steps of: selection of frozen black mulberries, adding glucose-fructose syrup and water, cooking, adding citric acid and apple pectin, removing seeds, and pasteurisation. Qualitative and quantitative determinations of antioxidants in black mulberry samples were performed using spectrophotometric methods, as well as HPLC- and LC-QTOF-MS-based measurements. These analyses included the determination of total polyphenolic content, % polymeric colour, total and individual anthocyanin contents, antioxidant capacity, and in vitro bioaccessibility in processing samples.

RESULTS

Jam processing led to a significant reduction in total phenolics (88%), total flavonoids (89%), anthocyanins (97%), and antioxidant capacity (88-93%) (P < 0.05). Individual anthocyanin contents, determined using HPLC analysis, also showed a significant decrease (∼99% loss). In contrast, % recovery of bioaccessible total phenolics, anthocyanins, and antioxidant capacity (ABTS assay) increased after jam processing (16%, 12%, and 37%, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Fruit processing resulted in losses of polyphenols, anthocyanins, and antioxidant capacity of black mulberry jam. Optimisation of food processing could help to protect the phenolic compounds in fruits which might be helpful for the food industry to minimise the antioxidant loss and improve the final product quality. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Black Currant (Ribes nigrum L.) and Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) Fruit Juices Inhibit Adhesion of Asaia spp

The aim of the study was to evaluate the activity of high-polyphenolic black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) juices against bacterial strains Asaia lannensis and Asaia bogorensis isolated as spoilage of commercial soft drinks. The composition of fruit juices was evaluated using chromatographic techniques HPLC and LC-MS. The adhesion to glass, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate in two different culture media was evaluated by luminometry and the plate count method. The major anthocyanins in the V. myrtillus were petunidin-3-glucoside, malvidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and delphinidin-3-glucoside, while in R. nigrum delphinidin-3-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside were detected. The LC-MS analysis showed presence of anthocyanins (delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, and malvidin derivatives), phenolic acids (chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids), flavonols (quercetin-3-glucoside, quercetin-3-rutinoside), and flavanols (procyanidin B2 and procyanidin type A2). Additionally, in the bilberry juice A type procyanidin trimer was detected. The adhesion of Asaia spp. cells depended on the type of medium, carbon sources, and the type of abiotic surfaces. We noted that the adhesion was significantly stronger in minimal medium containing sucrose. The addition of bilberry and black currant juices notably reduced bacterial growth as well as cell adhesion to polyethylene terephthalate surfaces.

Polyphenols and Volatile Compounds in Commercial Chokeberry (Aronia Melanocarpa) Products

Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott commercial products (dried fruit, juice and compote) were analyzed for their polyphenol content by chromatographic and spectrophotometric analyses in order to ascertain the fate of this group of compounds when fresh fruit is processed and sold in different forms on the market. Different classes of polyphenols were investigated: hydroxycinnamic derivatives ranged from 0.65 mg/g to 4.30 mg/g, flavonoids from 0.36 mg/g to 1.12 mg/g, and anthocyanins from 0.65 to 7.08 mg/g sample. 4- O-Caffeoyl-quinic acid was tentatively identified for the first time in Aronia. In order to characterize better chokeberry juice, a GC profile of aroma compounds was obtained. The aroma juice compounds belong mainly to the chemical classes of alcohols (48.9%) and ketones (30.28%). The most abundant compound is 3-penthen-2-one (23.6%).

Impact of cooking, proving, and baking on the (poly)phenol content of wild blueberry

Accumulating evidence suggests that diets rich in (poly)phenols may have positive effects on human health. Currently there is limited information regarding the effects of processing on the (poly)phenolic content of berries, in particular in processes related to the baking industry. This study investigated the impact of cooking, proving, and baking on the anthocyanin, procyanidin, flavonol, and phenolic acid contents of wild blueberry using HPLC with UV and fluorescence detection. Anthocyanin levels decreased during cooking, proving, and baking, whereas no significant changes were observed for total procyanidins. However, lower molecular weight procyanidins increased and high molecular weight oligomers decreased during the process. Quercetin and ferulic and caffeic acid levels remained constant, whereas increases were found for chlorogenic acid. Due to their possible health benefits, a better understanding of the impact of processing is important to maximize the retention of these phytochemicals in berry-containing products.

Flavonoid profile of Saskatoon berries (Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt.) and their health promoting effects

Flavonoids are a significant group of secondary metabolites in plants. Many of these compounds are potent antioxidants, being an important part in food products derived from the plants. The current status of research on flavonoid compounds in the fruit of Saskatoon berries (Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt.) and their health promoting effects, including recommended utilization, are reviewed. The major classes of flavonoids in the fruit are flavonols (quercetin and rutin), flavanes (proanthocyanidin compounds ranging from dimers through to heptamers and even higher polymers) and finally anthocyanins. The flavonoids represented the group of polyphenols that mostly contributed to the antioxidant activity of Saskatoon berries. High content of the flavoinoids antioxidants in the fruit is responsible for the observed anti-inflammatory, antidiadiabetic and chemo-protective effects.