Aerial surfaces of plants are covered by a waxy cuticle protecting plants from excessive water loss and UV light. In the present study, composition and morphology of cuticular waxes of northern wild berry species bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), lingonberry (V. vitis-idaea L.), bog bilberry (V. uliginosum L.) and crowberry (Empetrum nigrum L.) were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed differences in epicuticular wax morphologies and gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis confirmed variation in chemical composition of cuticular waxes between the berry species. The dominant compounds in bilberry and lingonberry cuticular waxes were triterpenoids while fatty acids and alkanes were the dominant ones in bog bilberry and crowberry, respectively. Wax extracted by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) from industrial press cakes of bilberry and lingonberry contained linoleic acid and γ-linolenic acid as the dominant compounds. Furthermore, in vitro sun protection factor (SPF) of berry waxes depicted good UV-B absorbing capacities.

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Major water-polluting microplastics (for example, polyethylene, polypropylene and others) have lower density than water. Therefore, they are concentrated in the neustonic layer near the water-air interface altogether with dissolved or colloidal natural organic matter, hydrophobic cells and spores of bacteria. This can cause environmental and public health problems because the floating micro- and nanoparticles of plastics could be coated with biofilm of hydrophobic and often putative pathogenic bacteria. Biofilm-coated microplastics are more attractive for consumption by aquatic animals than pure microplastics, and that increases the negative impacts of microplastics. So, impacts of even small quantities of microplastics in aquatic environments must be accounted for considering their accumulation in the micro-layer of water-air interphase and its interaction with bacterioneuston. Microorganisms attached to the surface of microplastic particles could interact with them, use them as substrates for growth, to change properties and biodegrade. The study of microbial life on the surface of microplastic particles is one of the key topics to understanding their role in the environment.

The outer-most layer of plant surface, the cuticle, consists of epi- and intra-cuticular wax. It protects the plant from dehydration, extreme temperatures and UV radiation, as well as attacks from pests such as molds and bacteria. Berry cuticular waxes are studied to understand the metabolism character (factors affecting wax layer composition in different berry species) and increase the microbial resistance and shelf life of berries. The aim of this study was analysis of the surface wax composition of nine species of wild and cultivated berries from Northern Europe. Cuticular wax analysis were done using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 59 different compounds were identified belonging to nine groups of compounds, namely, alkanes, phytosterols, alcohols, fatty acids, phenolic acids, ketones, aldehydes, esters and tocopherols. The analyzed blueberries had the highest amount of wax present on their surface (0.9 mg berry−1), triterpenoids were the main wax constituent in these berries, with up to 62% wax composition. Berry species and varieties were compared based on their surface wax composition—similarities were found between different blueberry varieties; however, other berries showed differences based on concentration and composition of cuticular wax.

Berries represent one of the most important and high-valued group of modernday health-beneficial "superfoods" whose dietary consumption has been recognized to be beneficial for human health for a long time. In addition to being delicious, berries are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and several bioactive compounds, including carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and hydrolysable tannins. However, due to their high value, berries and berry-based products are often subject to fraudulent adulteration, commonly for economical gain, but also unintentionally due to misidentification of species. Deliberate adulteration often comprises the substitution of high-value berries with lower value counterparts and mislabeling of product contents. As adulteration is deceptive toward customers and presents a risk for public health, food authentication through different methods is applied as a countermeasure. Although many authentication methods have been developed in terms of fast, sensitive, reliable, and low-cost analysis and have been applied in the authentication of a myriad of food products and species, their application on berries and berry-based products is still limited. The present review provides an overview of the development and appli-

The aim of this study was to characterize the variation in biologically active compounds, antioxidant activity and physico-chemical properties in naturally grown bilberries gathered from different sites in Northern Europe. The variability in the biologically active compounds, antioxidant capacity and physico-chemical properties, as well as the development of tools for the authenticity and quality control of wild bilberries (V. myrtillus L.) in different geographical locations was evaluated. The berries of bilberries were handpicked during the summers of 2019 and 2020 during the time periods when they are typically harvested for commercial purposes in Northern Europe (Norway (NOR), Finland (FIN), Latvia (LVA) and Lithuania (LTU)). Berries from locations in NOR were distinguished by their higher mean TPC (791 mg/100 g FW, average), whereas the mean TPC of samples from the most southern country, LTU, was the lowest (587 mg/100 g FW). The TPC of bilberries ranged from 452 to 902 mg/100 g FW. The TAC values of investigated bilberry samples varied from 233 to 476 mg/100 g FW. A high positive correlation was found between TPC and antioxidant activity of the bilberry samples (R = 0.88 and 0.91 (FRAP and ABTS assays, respectively)), whereas the correlation between TAC and antioxidant activity was lower (R = 0.65 and 0.60). There were variations in the TPC and TAC values of investigated berries, suggesting that genotype also affects the TPC and TAC in berries. In 2020, the pH values and TSS contents of berries were significantly lower than in 2019. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive reported evaluation of the biologically active compounds in wild bilberries from different Northern European countries using one laboratory-validated method.

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