Determination of Flavonoid and Proanthocyanidin Profile of Hungarian Sour Cherry

Hungarian sour cherries (SC) are excellent source of anthocyanin (concentrations (100⁻300 mg in 100 g fresh fruit) and melatonin (0.15 mg in 100 g fresh fruit), but other flavonoid derivatives also can be isolated by aqueous alcoholic extraction. We have developed a new process for extracting non-extractable procyanidines bound to the membrane, proteins, and fibers. These compounds were seperated with UHPLC-MS methods, and the structure of individual components were identified on the basis of their mass fragmentation spectra. The antioxidant capacity of soluble and non-soluble antioxidants were measured with ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays, and compared to the new measurement methods of water-soluble antioxidant capacity (ACW), lipid-soluble antioxidant capacity (ACL). Furthermore, total phenolic content (TPC) and total procyanidin content (PAC) were determinated. As a result of our investigation, we found that the solvent combination, where in the first step is water⁻ethanol (1:1), then 100% ethanol were suitable for the extraction of the extractable antioxidants. However, the chemiluminescence method that is based on the elimination of the superoxide radical is more accurate than other colorimetric methods which measure antioxidant capacity.