Phytochemical analysis of salal berry ( Gaultheria shallon Pursh.), a traditionally-consumed fruit from western North America with exceptionally high proanthocyanidin content

Abstract

Salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh.) is a wild perennial shrub of the Ericaceae and common in coastal forests of western North America, and its berries were an important traditional food for First Nations in British Columbia. Salal berries were investigated for phytochemical content and antioxidant capacity over the course of fruit development. The proanthocyanidin content was extremely high in young berries (280.7 mg/g dry wt) but dropped during development to 52.8 mg/g dry wt. By contrast, anthocyanins accumulated only at the late berry stages. Total antioxidant capacity, as measured by the 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) method, reflected both proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin content, and in mature berries reached 36 mmol Trolox equivalents/100 g dry wt. More detailed phytochemical analysis determined that delphinidin 3-O-galactoside is the dominant anthocyanin, and that the berries are also rich in procyanidins, including procyanidin A2 which has been implicated in anti-adhesion activity for uropathogenic E. coli. Proanthocyanidins were 60% prodelphinidin, and overall concentrations were higher than reported for many Vaccinium species including blueberry, lingonberry, and cranberry. Overall, the phenolic profile of salal berries indicates that these fruit contain a diversity of health-promoting phenolics.

UHPLC-MS Chemical Fingerprinting and Antioxidant, Antiproliferative, and Enzyme Inhibition Potential of Gaultheria pumila Berries

“…From Rhododendron ambiguum (Ericaceae) fruits, methyl gallate glucosides were identified [ 47 ]. Peak 20 was identified as a galloyl derivative ( m / z = 461.07297) [ 9 ]. In the MS 2 spectrum, the precursor ion showed a fragment at m / z = 309.17999, formed by the loss of galloyl moiety at m / z = 151.00304 (C 7 H 3 O 4 − ).…”

“…Some of their chemical constituents and pharmacological properties have been extensively investigated [ 5 ]. Antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and enzyme inhibitory properties have been reported in the scientific literature [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. In Chile, the genus Gaultheria is distributed from the central region (Región Metropolitana) to the extreme south (Región de Magallanes), and twelve species have been formally registered including G. angustifolia , G. antarctica , G. cespitosa , G. insana , G. mucronata , G. nubigena , G. phyllireifolia , G. poeppigii , G. tenuifolia , G. renjifoana , G. racemulosa , and G. pumila [ 10 ].…”

Isolation and characterization of secondary metabolites from Gaultheria tenuifolia berries

“…In the same line, Ferguson et al. (2018) reported prodelphinidin derivatives in the fruits from G. shallon .…”

“…Ferguson et al. (2018) reported the monoglycosides cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin peonidin, and petunidin in Gaultheria shallon . Mieres‐Castro et al.…”

Two-Dimensional Tannin Fingerprints by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Offer a New Dimension to Plant Tannin Analyses and Help To Visualize the Tannin Diversity in Plants

“…Again, I see no problems with the small PA oligomers, because they could be quantified by other methods as well. 5 , 6 , 25 …”