Liquid Chromatographic Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometric Untargeted Profiling of (Poly)phenolic Compounds in Rubus idaeus L. and Rubus occidentalis L. Fruits and Their Comparative Evaluation

Nutritionally Important Pro-Health Active Ingredients and Antioxidant Properties of Fruits and Fruit Juice of Selected Biennial Fruiting Rubus idaeus L. Cultivars

Raspberry fruits are an important source of many biologically active chemical compounds exerting nutritional and pro-health effects. The study presents a comparative analysis of nutritionally important bioactive chemical compounds-polyphenols; flavonoids, including anthocyanins; vitamin C; amino acids; fatty acids; and primary metabolites-contained in the fruits of three biennial fruiting cultivars, R. idaeus 'Glen Ample', 'Laszka', and 'Radziejowa', i.e., common cultivars in Poland and Europe. The antioxidant activity of fresh fruits and juice was determined with five methods. The analyses revealed the strong free radical scavenging potential of the fruits and juice, confirmed by the high concentration of nutrients, e.g., polyphenols, anthocyanins, vitamin C, amino acids, and fatty acids. The antioxidant activity of the juice determined with the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and OH radical methods was from 2.5 to 4.0 times higher than that of the fruits. The following orders of total polyphenol contents were established in the analyzed cultivars: 'Glen Ample' < 'Laszka' < 'Radziejowa' in the fruits and 'Glen Ample' < 'Radziejowa' < 'Laszka' in the juice. The highest antioxidant activity was exhibited by the 'Radziejowa' fruits. Given their high content of dietary fiber, the fruits of the analyzed raspberry cultivars can be consumed by dieting subjects. The concentrations of vitamin C (28-34 mg/100 g) and anthocyanins (20-34 mg/100 g) indicate the biological and pharmacological activity of these fruits. The main unsaturated fatty acids in the fruits were gamma-linoleic acid (C18:2n6c) and alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3n3), which neutralize excess free radicals. The amino acids nutritionally essential to humans were dominated by leucine, arginine, and phenylalanine. This is the first comparative analysis of the antioxidant activity of fruits and juice and the contents of selected active compounds in the fruits of biennial fruiting cultivars of R. idaeus, i.e., a highly commercialized crop in Europe.

Evaluation of the Content of Micro- and Macroelements in Raspberries Depending on the Species, Cultivar Variety, and Geographical Environment

The study aimed to analyse the macro- and micro-nutrient content in fruits of Rubus species (R. idaeus, R. occidentalis, R. chamaemorus, and R. chingii) and their varieties or hybrids from different regions. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry with deuterium background correction was used to measure concentrations of nine essential elements (K, Mg, Ca, Na, Mn, Fe, Cr, Zn, and Cu) and two heavy metals (Pb, Cd). Chemometric analysis compared the elemental profiles. Results confirmed raspberries as a rich source of macroelements (K, Mg) and microelements (Zn, Cu, Mn, Cr). The 'Bristol' cultivar consistently had the highest Fe content regardless of origin. Cr presence was observed in black raspberries for the first time. Previously observed relationships like K-Na antagonism and Cr/Zn, Fe/Zn synergism were found in raspberry fruits. Factor and cluster analyses demonstrated species and geographical diversity among Polish raspberry samples and clear separation of R. chingii from China. Raspberry fruits, due to the rich complex of polyphenols, are classified as superfoods, and the content of bioelements determined in them guarantees coverage of the daily requirement for macro- and microelements (RDA depending on the element: 5.6-204% for R. idaeus, 8.8-469, 4% for R. occidentalis, and 1.4-67.2% for R. chamaemorus), finally confirming this opinion.

Two-Step Upcycling Process of Lignocellulose into Edible Bacterial Nanocellulose with Black Raspberry Extract as an Active Ingredient

(1) Background: Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) has gained in popularity over the years due to its outstanding properties such as renewability, biocompatibility, and bioavailability, and its use as an eco-friendly material of the future for replacing petrochemical products. (2) Methods: This research refers to the utilization of lignocellulose coming from wood waste via enzymatic hydrolysis to produce biopolymer BNC with an accumulation rate of 0.09 mg/mL/day. Besides its significant contribution to the sustainability, circularity, and valorization of biomass products, the obtained BNC was functionalized through the adsorption of black raspberry extract (BR) by simple soaking. (3) Results: BR contained 77.25 ± 0.23 mg GAE/g of total phenolics and 27.42 ± 0.32 mg CGE/g of total anthocyanins. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of BR was evaluated by DPPH (60.51 ± 0.18 µg/mL) and FRAP (1.66 ± 0.03 mmol Fe2+/g) and using a standard disc diffusion assay, respectively. The successful synthesis and interactions between BNC and BR were confirmed by FTIR analysis, while the morphology of the new nutrient-enriched material was investigated by SEM analysis. Moreover, the in vitro release kinetics of a main active compound (cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside) was tested in different release media. (4) Conclusions: The upcycling process of lignocellulose into enriched BNC has been demonstrated. All findings emphasize the potential of BNC-BR as a sustainable food industry material.

Comprehensive Characterization of Secondary Metabolites in Fruits and Leaves of Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.)

Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus L.) is a circumpolar boreal plant rich in bioactive compounds and is widely used in food and in folk medicine. In this study, a combination of two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry was used for the comprehensive characterization of secondary metabolites in cloudberry lipophilic and hydrophilic extracts. Special attention was paid to the leaf extractives, which are highly enriched in polyphenolic compounds, the content of which reaches 19% in the extract (in gallic acid equivalent). The chemical composition of the polyphenolic fraction is represented mainly by the glycosylated derivatives of flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic (primarily caffeic), gallic (including the structure of galloyl ascorbate) and ellagic acids, catechin, and procyanidins. The contents of aglycones in the polyphenolic fraction were 64 and 100 mg g^-1 for flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids, respectively, while the content of free caffeic acid was 1.2 mg g^-1. This determines the exceptionally high antioxidant activity of this fraction (750 mg g^-1 in gallic acid equivalent) and the ability to scavenge superoxide anion radicals, which is 60% higher than that of Trolox. The lower polar fractions consist mainly of glycolipids, which include polyunsaturated linolenic acid (18:3), pentacyclic triterpenic acids, carotenoid lutein, and chlorophyll derivatives, among which pheophytin a dominates. Along with the availability, the high antioxidant and biological activities of cloudberry leaf extracts make them a promising source of food additives, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

Differences in Chemical Constituents between Dalbergia oliveri Heartwood and Sapwood and Their Effect on Wood Color

The purpose of this study was to characterize and quantify the chemical constituents of heartwood and sapwood of Dalbergia oliveri extract in order to investigate the chemical components that determine the formation of heartwood's color. In this work, the types of pigments in heartwood and sapwood extract were analyzed using UV-Visible (UV) Spectrophotometer, and the main pigment components of heartwood and sapwood extract were identified and quantified using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). The results showed that the difference in content of the main components between heartwood and sapwood of Dalbergia oliveri was slight, and the lignin structure between heartwood and sapwood is basically identical; flavonoid pigments were found to be the primary chromophoric components of heartwood and sapwood extract. However, a total of 21 flavonoids were identified in heartwood and sapwood, of which the unique substances to heartwood were vitexin, isorhamnetin, and pelargonidin, and the content of isoliquiritigenin, formononetin, and biochanin A were 253, 37, and 583 times higher in the heartwood than in the sapwood, respectively, which could be the main pigment components affecting the significant color difference between heartwood and sapwood of Dalbergia oliveri. These results will provide a foundation for revealing the underlying mechanism of color difference between heartwood and sapwood and provide a theoretical basis for wood coloring.

Relationship between Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity in Berries and Leaves of Raspberry Genotypes and Their Genotyping by SSR Markers

The red raspberry is one of the world’s most popular berries. The main direction of its breeding has switched to nutritional quality, and the evaluation of raspberry germplasm for antioxidant content and activity is very important. As berries, raspberry leaves contain valuable bioactive compounds, but the optimal time for their collection is unknown. We evaluated 25 new breeding lines and standard raspberry cultivars for their polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity. The antioxidant activity of berries correlated better with the content of total phenolics (0.88 and 0.92) and flavonoids (0.76 and 0.88) than with anthocyanins (0.37 and 0.66). Two breeding lines were significantly superior to the standard cultivars and can be used in further breeding. Leaves collected in three phenological phases of the raspberry contained more phenolics (5.4-fold) and flavonoids (4.1-fold) and showed higher antioxidant activities (2.4-fold in FRAP assay, 2.2-fold in ABTS) than berries. The optimal time for harvesting raspberry leaves is the fruit ripening stage, with exceptions for some cultivars. Genetic diversity analysis using microsatellite (SSR) markers from flavonoid biosynthesis genes divided the genotypes into five clusters, generally in agreement with their kinships. The relationship between genetic data based on metabolism-specific SSR markers and the chemical diversity of cultivars was first assessed. The biochemical and genetic results show a strong correlation (0.78). This study is useful for further the improvement of raspberry and other berry crops.

Evaluation of Antioxidant Capacity and Gut Microbiota Modulatory Effects of Different Kinds of Berries

Berries are fairly favored by consumers. Phenolic compounds are the major phytochemicals in berries, among which anthocyanins are one of the most studied. Phenolic compounds are reported to have prebiotic-like effects. In the present study, we identified the anthocyanin profiles, evaluated and compared the antioxidant capacities and gut microbiota modulatory effects of nine common berries, namely blackberry, black goji berry, blueberry, mulberry, red Chinese bayberry, raspberry, red goji berry, strawberry and white Chinese bayberry. Anthocyanin profiles were identified by UPLC-Triple-TOF/MS. In vitro antioxidant capacity was evaluated by four chemical assays (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and ORAC). In vivo antioxidant capacity and gut microbiota modulatory effects evaluation was carried out by treating healthy mice with different berry extracts for two weeks. The results show that most berries could improve internal antioxidant status, reflected by elevated serum or colonic T-AOC, GSH, T-SOD, CAT, and GSH-PX levels, as well as decreased MDA content. All berries significantly altered the gut microbiota composition. The modulatory effects of the berries were much the same, namely by the enrichment of beneficial SCFAs-producing bacteria and the inhibition of potentially harmful bacteria. Our study shed light on the gut microbiota modulatory effect of different berries and may offer consumers useful consumption guidance.

Colorimetric selective quantification of anthocyanins with catechol/pyrogallol moiety in edible plants upon zinc complexation

Here is examined the colour development from common anthocyanins (i.e., cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin, and pelargonidin glycosides) and from anthocyanins-rich extracts (i.e., bilberries, strawberries, and raspberries), using zinc-anthocyanin complexes as molecular probe. We have observed the absorbance increase in the blue region in presence of large excess of zinc ion at acidic pH for cyanidin and delphinidin derivatives, likely due to quinoidal base stabilization from catechol and pyrogallol moiety. The assay condition were studied and applied to natural extracts containing these compounds. The same behaviour was observed for bilberry and, to a minor extent, for raspberry extracts, due to the larger cyanidin/delphinidin contents in the former than in the latter. Anthocyanin standard UV-Vis analysis in buffer has shown a very good linear correlation for cyanidin and delphinidin (R² = 0.995 and 0.997, respectively), good precision (CV% = 7.4% and 5.3% respectively), high sensitivity (Cyε_600nm = 8300 M^-1 cm^-1, LOD = 0.264 ± 0.005 mg L^-1, LOQ = 0.478 ± 0.007 mg L^-1, and Dpε_600nm = 15,900 M^-1 cm^-1, LOD = 0.143 ± 0.002 mg L^-1, LOQ = 0.478 ± 0.007 mg L^-1). The effectiveness of this colorimetric method for the selective quantification of catechol/pyrogallol-based anthocyanins has been demonstrated in the aforementioned complex real matrices and compared to LC-MS/MS analysis and pH-differential method, offering a valuable tool to characterize plant and food extracts particularly rich in zinc-coordinating anthocyanins.

Jabuticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba) Peel as a Sustainable Source of Anthocyanins and Ellagitannins Delivered by Phospholipid Vesicles for Alleviating Oxidative Stress in Human Keratinocytes

The Brazilian berry scientifically known as jabuticaba is a fruit covered by a dark purple peel that is still rich in bioactives, especially polyphenols. Considering that, this work was aimed at obtaining an extract from the peel of jabuticaba fruits, identifying its main components, loading it in phospholipid vesicles specifically tailored for skin delivery and evaluating their biological efficacy. The extract was obtained by pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE), which is considered an easy and low dissipative method, and it was rich in polyphenolic compounds, especially flavonoids (ortho-diphenols and condensed tannins), anthocyanins (cyanidin 3-O-glucoside and delphinidin 3-O-glucoside) and gallic acid, which were responsible for the high antioxidant activity detected using different colorimetric methods (DPPH, FRAP, CUPRAC and metal chelation). To improve the stability and extract effectiveness, it was incorporated into ultradeformable phospholipid vesicles (transfersomes) that were modified by adding two different polymers (hydroxyethyl cellulose and sodium hyaluronate), thus obtaining HEcellulose-transfersomes and hyaluronan-transfersomes. Transfersomes without polymers were the smallest, as the addition of the polymer led to the formation of larger vesicles that were more stable in storage. The incorporation of the extract in the vesicles promoted their beneficial activities as they were capable, to a greater extent than the solution used as reference, of counteracting the toxic effect of hydrogen peroxide and even of speeding up the healing of a wound performed in a cell monolayer, especially when vesicles were enriched with polymers. Given that, polymer enriched vesicles may represent a good strategy to produce cosmetical and cosmeceutical products with beneficial properties for skin.