Phenolic Composition, Mineral Content, and Beneficial Bioactivities of Leaf Extracts from Black Currant (Ribes nigrum L.), Raspberry (Rubus idaeus), and Aronia (Aronia melanocarpa)

Abstract

Currently, the incidence of lifestyle diseases is increasing due to inappropriate nutrition and environmental pollution. To prevent these diseases, various groups of bioactive compounds are needed with a broad spectrum of action and without adverse side effects. Polyphenolic compounds are the most widely studied group of this type of compounds. They occur widely in plants, but their content depends on many factors, including the type of plant, climatic conditions, and the date of harvest. The spectrum of bioactivity of phenolic compounds is determined by their chemical structure, concentration, and interaction with other compounds. Traditional recipes have been studied to search for active plant ingredients. Leaves of shrubs and fruit trees were used in folk medicine as a panacea for many diseases and have been forgotten with time, but their benefits are now being rediscovered. In recent years, much new information about biological activity of phenolic compounds from berry bushes (black currant, raspberry, and aronia) was published. This was reviewed and discussed in this article. The mineral content of their leaves was also summarized because minerals constitute a significant component of plant infusions. It has been shown that high antioxidant and biological activity of leaf extracts results from the presence of active phenolic compounds, which occur in definitely higher amounts than in fruits. Therefore, the leaves of berry bushes seem to be a promising source of substances that can be used as replacements for synthetic agents in the treatment and prevention of lifestyle diseases.

Examining the polyphenol content, antioxidant activity and fatty acid composition of twenty-one different wastes of fruits, vegetables, oilseeds and beverages

“…Ethanol extracts significantly (p < 0.05) showed high DPPH radical scavenging activity for most of the extracts although they contain less total phenolics in these extracts compared to the water extracts. This might be because of the differences in the phenolic combinations [41], as the DPPH radical scavenging activity of a substrate depends upon its phenolic structure as well as the number and the location of the hydroxyl groups [42]. With a mean DPPH inhibition of 70%, onion peel showed higher antioxidant capacity than that observed for garlic peel, which presented the lowest DPPH inhibition (mean: − 3.6%).…”

Volatile Profile of Mead Fermenting Blossom Honey and Honeydew Honey with or without Ribes nigrum

“…According to these results, the products prepared with blossom honey had a longer fermentation time, and the addition of black currants accelerated the fermentation. Differences in honey composition [20] and black currant [19] might provide factors influencing the yeast rate of sugar depletion.…”

“…To reach this aim, multi-floral blossom honey and a forest honeydew honey, with or without black currant (Ribes nigrum), added before fermentation, were used to prepare four different honey wines to be compared for their volatile organic compounds content. Due to the high complexity of the Ribes nigrum, its addition was decided to originate a mead variant rich in polyphenols, minerals, and vitamins, which might have a positive effect on the fermentation process or the end product quality [19]. Polyphenol content and consumer acceptance were explored, as well.…”

Water-Based Extraction of Bioactive Principles from Blackcurrant Leaves and Chrysanthellum americanum: A Comparative Study

“…BC contain a valuable source of bioactive compounds especially anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and also vitamin C [ 7 ]. Since ancient times, BC have been generally used in European folk medicines to treat arthritis, rheumatism, and respiratory problems [ 8 ] due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities, as well as its vasomodulatory, antihemostatic, and muscle-relaxing effects, and even some neuroprotective and cancer-preventive activities [ 6 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Chrysanthellum americanum , a genus of yellow flowering plants in the Chrysanthemum family [ 16 , 17 ], grows mainly in the mountainous regions or moderate altitude areas in Africa from Senegal to Nigeria and South America from southern Mexico to northern Brazil [ 18 , 19 ].…”