Influence of Altitudes and Development Stages on the Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Capacity of the Wild Andean Blueberry (Vaccinium floribundum Kunth)

Abstract

The chemical composition and biological capacities of berries depend on environmental parameters, maturity, and location. The Andean blueberry (Vaccinium floribundum Kunth), also known as mortiño, presents a unique combination of several phytochemicals, which play a synergistic role in its characterization as a functional food. We aimed to expose the possible variations that exist in the profile of the phenolic compounds as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity of the wild Andean blueberry with respect to three ripeness stages and two different altitudes. We found that polyphenols are the predominant compounds in the berry during the early ripeness stage and are the main bioactive compounds that give rise to the antioxidant capacity and inhibition effect on the growth of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, the accumulation of ascorbic acid, free amino acids, and anthocyanins increases as the ripening process progresses, and they were the main bioactive compounds in the ripe berry. The latter compounds influence the production of the typical bluish or reddish coloration of ripe blueberries. In addition, it was determined that environmental conditions at high altitudes could have a positive influence in all cases. Overall, our data provide evidence regarding the high functional value of the wild Andean blueberry.

The First Complete Chloroplast Genome Sequence of Mortiño (Vaccinium floribundum) and Comparative Analyses with Other Vaccinium Species

“…Vaccinium floribundum Kunth-also known as Andean blueberry or mortiño-is a wild deciduous perennial and terrestrial shrub distributed across the high Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia, between 1600 and 4500 m above sea level (masl) [8][9][10][11][12][13]. This shrub can grow up to 2-3.5 m and has an inflorescence formed by 6-10 pink flowers bearing round blue to nearly black edible berries [8,14,15]. This species contains a unique combination of bioactive compounds, nutrients, and fiber, which play an essential role in its characterization as a functional food [15].…”

“…This shrub can grow up to 2-3.5 m and has an inflorescence formed by 6-10 pink flowers bearing round blue to nearly black edible berries [8,14,15]. This species contains a unique combination of bioactive compounds, nutrients, and fiber, which play an essential role in its characterization as a functional food [15]. Moreover, different studies have established that its berries have a high content of anthocyanins, phenolics, flavonoids, polyphenols, and vitamin C, which make Horticulturae 2023, 9, 302 2 of 19 this species attractive because of its medicinal properties, mainly as an antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antitumor, and antidiabetic [8,9,11,14,[16][17][18].…”

“…Therefore, the berries consumed at local markets are harvested directly from the "paramo", a high-altitude tundra-like ecosystem characterized by dominant non-arboreal vegetation, high ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, low temperatures (8 to 17 • C), and high humidity. Local indigenous communities harvest mortiño fruits from August to November, representing an important source of income for them [15,[18][19][20]24].…”

Chemical Characterization and Antioxidant Potential of the Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.) Fruits from Alpine-Dinaric region of Croatia

“…Higher elevation has been previously reported to have beneficial effect on phenolic content in rabbiteye blueberry ( Vaccinium ashei J.M.Reade ‘Brightwell’) ( 41 ) and Andean blueberry ( V . floribundum Kunth) ( 42 ). FRAP was highest in P02 (Risnjak), P04 (Jasenak) and P09 (Senjsko bilo), while antioxidant activity was highest in fruits from populations P05 (Mala Javornica) and P08 (Stolac).…”

First whole genome assembly ofVaccinium floribundumKunth, an emblematic Andean species

“…Furthermore, the fruits of V. floribundum boast a remarkable nutritional profile, attributed to the presence of phytochemical nutrients with antioxidant capacity, including polyphenols, anthocyanins and flavonols [9][10][11]. Additionally, these fruits harbor an array of bioactive compounds that confer multiple health benefits, including anti-inflammatory [12], antibacterial [13], antitumor [14] and antihypertensive properties [4,15]. V. floribundum is a resilient species that has successfully adapted to high-altitude ecosystems, including the challenging conditions of the paramo in the Andes [16].…”