DEVELOPMENT OF FUNCTIONAL BEVERAGE BASED ON MISTLETOE (VISCUM ALBUM L.) LEAVES AND BLUEBERRIES (VACCINIUM MYRTILLUS L.) FRUITS WITH HIGH ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

Abstract

Medicinal plants, through their complex chemical composition, have therapeutic properties, they can act preventively or curatively in alleviating or even treating various ailments. Both mistletoe (Viscum album L.) and blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L) are medicinal plants rich in polyphenols, such as flavonoids, hydroxybenzoic acid, derivatives of hydroxycinnamic acids. In the present research, the bioactive compounds were firstly extracted from mistletoe leaves (Viscum album L.) harvested from acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and blueberry fruits (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) using ethanol as solvent in two concentrations (25 and 50 %) The total phenols content, respectively the antioxidant capacity recorded by the FRAP assay, were recorded from both of the individual hydroalcoholic extracts of mistletoe and blueberry and of the combined ones, mistletoe and blueberry. Mistletoe leaves and blueberry fruits contain a considerable amount of phenolic compounds, and our results suggested that their combination can lead to obtaining a functional beverage with a high antioxidant capacity with a beneficial effect on human health.

Keywords

• viscum album l.
• vaccinium myrtillus l.
• functional beverage
• total phenols
• antioxidant capacity