Anthocyanin Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Various Berries Cultivated in Korea

This study examined the anthocyanin composition and antioxidant activity of various berries cultivated in Korea: blueberry, crowberry, Korean black raspberry, mulberry, and strawberry. The anthocyanins in berries were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, and each component was quantitatively analyzed. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of berries was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging, 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation decolorization, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and ferric ion reducing antioxidant (FRAP) assays. The results revealed that the total content of anthocyanins in crowberry was 35.1 mg/g of extract, which was higher than that in the other four major berry species (1.9-27.7 mg/g of extract). Nineteen anthocyanins were identified in the various berries. The major anthocyanins of crowberry were cyanidin-3-galactoside and delphinidin-3-galactoside, and those from Korean black raspberry were cyanidin-3-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside-5-rhamnoside. These two berries also had relatively strong antioxidant activity accompanied by high total polyphenol contents. Thus, consumption of crowberry and Korean black raspberry may be beneficial in reducing the risk of developing lifestyle-related chronic diseases because of their strong antioxidant activity.