Bioactive compounds of selected fruit juices

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Food Chemistry
• Phytochemistry

Background:

• Fruits are primary dietary sources of phenolic compounds, known for their biological activities, particularly antioxidant effects.
• Understanding the phenolic composition and antioxidant potential of various fruit juices is crucial for dietary and health applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the phenolic compound composition of buckthorn, flowering quince, rowanberry, and hawthorn juices.
• To evaluate the antioxidant activity of these fruit juices using established assays.

Main Methods:

• Phenolic compounds were identified and quantified in the selected fruit juices.
• Antioxidant activity was assessed using the ABTS*+ radical scavenging assay and the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) method.

Main Results:

• Rowanberry juice was rich in hydroxycinnamic acids (neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acid) and procyanidins.
• Sea buckthorn juice contained the highest concentration of flavonols (quercetin derivatives).
• All tested juices demonstrated significant free-radical scavenging and ferric reducing abilities, with rowanberry juice showing the highest activity, and hawthorn and sea buckthorn juices exhibiting the lowest.

Conclusions:

• The studied fruit juices possess notable antioxidant properties attributed to their diverse phenolic profiles.
• Rowanberry juice stands out for its superior antioxidant activity, making it a promising source of dietary antioxidants.
• Further research into the specific bioactive compounds and their health benefits is warranted.