Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus L) Anthocyanins as Ingredients for Functional Foods

Abstract

In the recent years many studies on anthocyanins have revealed their strong antioxidant activity and their possible use as chemotherapeutics. The finding that sour cherries (Prunus cerasus L) (also called tart cherries) contain high levels of anthocyanins that possess strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties has attracted much attention to this species. Here we report the preliminary results of the induction of anthocyanin biosynthesis in sour cherry callus cell cultures. The evaluation and characterization of the in vitro produced pigments are compared to those of the anthocyanins found in vivo in fruits of several sour cherry cultivars. Interestingly, the anthocyanin profiles found in whole fruit extracts were similar in all tested genotypes but were different with respect to the callus extract. The evaluation of antioxidant activity, performed by ORAC and TEAC assays, revealed a relatively high antioxidant capacity for the fruit extracts (from 1145 to 2592 μmol TE/100 g FW) and a lower one for the callus extract (688 μmol TE/100 g FW).

Production of phytochemicals by using habituated and long-term cultured cells

“…Cyanidin glucoside and cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside (42 mg g Ϫ1 fresh weight) have also been produced from cultured cells of sour cherry, a related species (Blando et al 2004).…”

Tart cherry in amelioration of pain in the elderly

“…Cyanidin 3-glucoside has stronger antioxidant activity compared to other anthocyanins present in tart cherries, and is used as a standard for quantification of tart cherry anthocyanin content. The antioxidant activity of cyanidin glycosides increases as attached sugar units decrease [3,[26][27][28]. Table 2 shows that total polyphenolic content is higher in tart cherries compared to sweet cherries (228.9 mg vs. 109.8 mg).…”

Potential application of pulsed electric fields to improve the recovery of bioactive compounds from sour cherries and their by-products

“…Furthermore, anthocyanins were identified as anti-inflammatory agents, which are major contributors to the antioxidant activity in cherries (Ferreti et al, 2010;Repajić et al, 2015). The total anthocyanin content of sour cherries is reported to range from 28 to 80 mg 100 g -1 (Blando et al, 2004). However, the total anthocyanin content and composition differ depending on sour cherry genotype (Blando et al, 2004;Damar, Eksi, 2012).…”

“…The total anthocyanin content of sour cherries is reported to range from 28 to 80 mg 100 g -1 (Blando et al, 2004). However, the total anthocyanin content and composition differ depending on sour cherry genotype (Blando et al, 2004;Damar, Eksi, 2012). Processing of fruits and vegetables affects their phytochemical and nutrient content, which may also influence their related health benefits (Ou et al, 2012).…”