COMPOSITION FEATURES OF ALCOHOLIC EXTRACTS FROM BLACKCURRANT (Ribes nigrum), SOUR CHERRY (Prunus cerasus) AND BITTER CHERRY (Prunus avium)

Abstract

The paper elucidates the potential of biologically active substances of sour cherry, blackcurrant, and bitter cherry fruits through the prism of fundamental research and quantifications achieved through analytical methods of study. The hydro-alcoholic extracts from blackcurrant and sour cherry presented values of over 90% DPPH• radical inhibition, be- ing also the most stable by composition during storage of 30 and 90 days. Based on the HPLC representatives, it was estab- lished that the main anthocyanin components in sour cherry extracts are: cyanidin-3-O-glucosyl-rutinoside, (2.4 mg/100 g), cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, (162 mg/100 g) and cyanidin-3-O-monoglucosil-rutinoside (3.86 mg/100 g). These anthocyanin compounds represent over 62.8% of the 7 anthocyanins identified in blackcurrant extract. A major positive correlation, R2 = 0.98 and p < 0.01, between antioxidant capacity, anthocyanin content, and color parameters, was established confirming that these phenolic compounds are the most important color constituents in the analyzed fruits. Thus, fresh or frozen cherry and blackcurrant fruits are an excellent source of phenolic substances, rich in vitamins and resistant to oxidation.

Keywords

• antioxidant capacity
• bitter cherry
• blackcurrant
• phenolic compounds
• anthocyanin content
• colour pa- rameters
• and sour cherry