Characteristics of Biologically Active Compounds in Cornelian Cherry Meads

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the effect of Cornelian cherry cultivars differing in fruit color (“Yantaryi”—yellow fruits, “Koralovyi”—coral fruits, “Podolski”—red fruits) on physicochemical characteristics, antioxidative properties, and contents of iridoids and polyphenols in meads with the addition of juices made of their fruits. “Trójniak” type meads (1:2 honey to water volume) were manufactured from multifloral honey, to which Cornelian cherry fruit juice was added before fermentation. Concentrations of individual iridoids and polyphenols were determined using HPLC analysis with a thermostat refractometric detector, model RID-10A. The total polyphenol content was determined based on testing with Folin–Ciocalteu (F-C) reagent, whereas the antioxidative properties were determined using DPPH• (2,2-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl), ABTS•⁺ (2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assays. Cultivar of Cornelian cherry fruits influenced both the antioxidative properties and the concentrations of polyphenols and iridoids. The highest concentration of total polyphenols (F-C), accounting for 898.7 mg gallic acid (GAE)/L, was determined in the mead with juice made of red fruits; this mead was also characterized by the strongest antioxidative capabilities measured with ABTS•⁺ and FRAP assays. Among the iridoids determined in the Cornelian cherry meads, loganic acid was found to prevail and its highest concentration, reaching 77.8 mg loganic acid (LA)/L mead, was determined in the mead with the coral-fruit juice. Study results indicate that Cornelian cherry meads have a high content of biologically active iridoids and phenolic acids which display valuable antioxidative properties.

Functional properties of Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.): a comprehensive review

“…Polyphenol content can be linked to the amount of juice and peel color [30,36,37]. Cultivar Szafer possessed the most intense purple color of all cultivars, and it was also the richest in TPC among the cultivars tested by Kucharska et al In the study by Adamenko et al [38], an analogous relationship could be noticed in meads prepared with different Cornus mas juices with different colors ranging from amber yellow to red. Another question addressed by the researchers was the percentage of stone mass in total fruit mass.…”

“…In Cornus mas, two iridoids have been detected-cornuside and loganic acid (Fig. 2), and their concentrations in ripe fruits range from 8.22-36.25 mg/100 g fw for the first to 81.53-461.08 mg/100 g fw for the latter, according to cited research [8,38,52]. This can be related to the growing conditions and stress factors affecting the plant, including harsh climate and insect attacks [54,55].…”

“…The rich polyphenolic composition and interesting sweet and sour flavor could draw the attention of functional food producers to the Cornelian cherry. Fruit freshness and maturity are important, because the polyphenolic content in raw material and its antioxidant profile determines the observed levels in ready products [38,85,88]. Other studies described the properties of meads made with different cultivars of the Cornelian cherry and various fermentation yeasts used [38].…”

“…These parameters were significantly higher than for mead aged without Cornelian cherry (i.e., total polyphenol number appr. 2 mg GAE/100 ml) [38].…”

Application for novel electrochemical screening of antioxidant potential and phytochemicals in Cornus mas extracts

“…The primary substances identified and labeled in Cornelian cherry fruits (which are responsible for their biological activity) are vitamin C, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and iridoids (De Biaggi et al, 2018;Kucharska et al, 2015). In the literature, the issue of deviation between different Polish cultivars of Cornelian cherry has been examined using standard radical tests (Adamenko, Kawa-Rygielska, Kucharska, & Piórecki, 2018;Kostecka, Szot, Czernecki, & Szot, 2017;Kucharska et al, 2011). There have been no studies about the antioxidant profile analyses of Cornus mas using electrochemical tools and techniques.…”