Metabolite and Bioactive Compounds Profiling of Meteora Sea Buckthorn Berries through High-Resolution NMR Analysis

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Metabolomics
• Food Chemistry

Background:

• Sea buckthorn berries (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.) are recognized for their high nutritional value and bioactive constituents.
• Understanding the metabolic profile of sea buckthorn is crucial for quality assessment and potential health benefits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the complete NMR metabolic profile of organic sea buckthorn berries.
• To validate qualitative characteristics of osmotically processed sea buckthorn berries against fresh samples.
• To identify bioactive metabolites in sea buckthorn berries using high-resolution NMR spectroscopy.

Main Methods:

• High-resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was employed for metabolic profiling.
• Analysis encompassed both lipophilic and polar components of the sea buckthorn berries.
• Comparative analysis was performed between fresh and osmotically processed berries.

Main Results:

• The lipophilic profile revealed the presence of vitamins, flavonoid glycosides, phenolic esters, and essential lipids.
• The polar profile identified various flavonoids, saccharides, organic acids, amino acids, and esterified glycosides.
• Osmotic processing maintained qualitative characteristics comparable to fresh sea buckthorn berries.

Conclusions:

• High-resolution NMR spectroscopy effectively elucidates the diverse bioactive metabolite composition of sea buckthorn berries.
• This analytical approach provides a basis for simultaneous profiling and quality assessment of sea buckthorn.
• The methodology can be applied to monitor the quality of fresh foods and assess other preservation techniques.