Geographic Variability of Berry Phytochemicals with Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties.

The aim of this study was to determine the variability of several chemical compounds and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of eight types of berries harvested from two different geographical regions in the same year. The analyses were performed on bilberry, black currant, gooseberry, red currant, raspberry, sea buckthorn, strawberry and sour cherry, which were handpicked during the summer of 2019, in the same periods when they are typically harvested for consumer purposes. Total anthocyanins content (TAC), total flavonoids content (TFC), total polyphenolic compounds (TPC), determination of the Ferric-Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), determination of the DPPH free radical scavenging assay (RSA), determination of nine phenolic compounds by HPLC-UV assay and antimicrobial activity were determined for undiluted hydroalcoholic extracts of all the studied berries. The results showed that the berries from Romania were richer in antioxidant compounds than the berries from Russia. The TPC content varied between 4.13-22.2 mg GAE/g d.w., TFC between 3.33-8.87 mg QE/g d.w. and TAC between 0.13-3.94 mg/g d.w. The highest variability was determined for TPC. Regarding the antioxidant activity assessed by FRAP assay, values were between 6.02-57.23 µmols TE/g d.w. and values for the RSA method between 18.44-83.81%. From the eight types of berries analyzed, bilberries and raspberries had the highest antioxidant activity considering both regions and both determination methods. Not only the type, but also the environmental and cultivation conditions in which the berries grow, can lead to variations in their chemical composition. The extracted polyphenolic compounds from the studied berries showed antibacterial properties on pathogens, such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphyloccocus aureus. The inhibitory action on Salmonella typhi and fungi Candida albicans and Aspegillus niger was absent to very low. The antimicrobial activity of the hydroalcoholic extracts was dependent on the provenance of the berries, too.

Enzyme-assisted extraction of anthocyanins and other phenolic compounds from blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) press cake: From processing to bioactivities.

The effects of commercial enzymes (pectinases, cellulases, beta-1-3-glucanases, and pectin lyases) on the recovery of anthocyanins and polyphenols from blackcurrant press cake were studied considering two solid:solvent ratios (1:10 and 1:4 w/v). ß-glucanase enabled the recovery of the highest total phenolic content - 1142 mg/100 g, and the extraction of anthocyanins was similar using all enzymes (∼400 mg/100 g). The use of cellulases and pectinases enhanced the extraction of antioxidants (DPPH - 1080 mg/100 g; CUPRAC - 3697 mg/100 g). The freeze-dried extracts presented antioxidant potential (CUPRAC, DPPH), which was associated with their biological effects in different systems: antiviral activity against both non-enveloped viruses (enterovirus coxsackievirus A-9) and enveloped coronaviruses (HCoV-OC43), and cytotoxicity towards cancer cells (A549 and HCT8). No cytotoxic effects on normal human lung fibroblast (IMR90) were observed, and no anti-inflammatory activity was detected in lipopolysaccharides-treated murine immortalised microglial cells.