Procyanidins from Cranberry Press Residues-Extraction Optimization, Purification and Characterization

Comparative In Vitro Study: Assessing Phytochemical, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Anticancer Properties of Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton and Vaccinium oxycoccos L. Fruit Extracts

The phytochemical diversity and potential health benefits of V. oxycoccos and V. macrocarpon fruits call for further scientific inquiry. Our study aimed to determine the phytochemical composition of extracts from these fruits and assess their antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer properties in vitro. It was found that the ethanolic extracts of V. oxycoccos and V. macrocarpon fruits, which contained more lipophilic compounds, had 2-14 times lower antioxidant activity compared to the dry aqueous extracts of cranberry fruit, which contained more hydrophilic compounds. All tested cranberry fruit extracts (OE, OW, ME, and MW) significantly inhibited the growth of bacterial strains S. aureus, S. epidermidis, E. coli, and K. pneumoniae in vitro compared to the control. Cytotoxic activity against the human prostate carcinoma PPC-1 cell line, human renal carcinoma cell line (CaKi-1), and human foreskin fibroblasts (HF) was determined using an MTT assay. Furthermore, the effect of the cranberry fruit extract samples on cell migration activity, cancer spheroid growth, and viability was examined. The ethanolic extract from V. macrocarpon fruits (ME) showed higher selectivity in inhibiting the viability of prostate and renal cancer cell lines compared to fibroblasts. It also effectively hindered the migration of these cancer cell lines. Additionally, the V. macrocarpon fruit extract (ME) demonstrated potent cytotoxicity against PPC-1 and CaKi-1 spheroids, significantly reducing the size of PPC-1 spheroids compared to the control. These findings suggest that cranberry fruit extracts, particularly the ethanolic extract from V. macrocarpon fruits, have promising potential as natural remedies for bacterial infections and cancer therapy.

Extraction-depended and thermally-modulated physical and chemical properties of powders produced from cranberry pomace extracts

Recovering bioactives from botanical by-products in the form of powders has been attempted through a number of multidirectional approaches. Yet understanding the processing of such plant formulations requires dedicated research owing to the manifold factors shaping the quality of powders. Therefore, the study aimed at production of cranberry powders from pomace extracts and to evaluate how different solvent type, carriers and drying techniques modulate their physico-chemical properties. Freeze- and vacuum drying significantly differentiated samples in terms of physical properties, while the extraction solvent and carrier type had substantial impact on chemical ones. For carrier-added products pomace extraction with acidified 50% ethanol resulted in the highest content of identified phenolics in powders (up to 5.87 g · 100 g-1 dry matter), while 30% acetone in the lowest (on average, 3.94 g · 100 g-1 dry matter). Acetone extraction strengthened the formation of hydroxymethyl-L-furfural that was higher when compared to acidified 50% ethanol, while trace amounts were reported for non-acidified counterpart. Similar observation was made in the case of flavan-3-ols. Addition of carriers during powders production led to the lower hydroxymethyl-L-furfural formation even down to 74% with regard to carrier-free samples. The study confirmed feasibility of managing cranberry pomace into high-value powders in extraction-depended and thermally-modulated quality matter.