The Dynamic of Polyphenols Concentrations in Organic and Conventional Sour Cherry Fruits: Results of a 4-Year Field Study

Abstract

Sour cherry fruits are a perfect source of polyphenols, including flavonols, phenolic acids and anthocyanins. According to the literature, organic fruits contain more bioactive compounds, especially polyphenols, compared to conventional fruits. Given that only one two-year experiment on the status of polyphenols in sour cherry fruits in an organic farm was previously conducted and found in the existing scientific literature, the aim of this study was to analyse and compare the concentration of bioactive compounds in organic and conventional sour cherries and to determine the effects of cultivation year and the proper cultivar. Four sour cherry cultivars (“Oblacińska”, “Kelleris 16”, “Pandy 103” and “Dobroceni Bötermo”) harvested in organic and conventional experimental orchards were assessed in this study. The dry matter and polyphenol contents in the fruits were determined. We observed a significantly higher concentration of dry matter in organic samples only in 2015 and 2017. In the case of total polyphenols, including phenolic acid (2015 and 2017–2018), and total flavonoids, including quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, the higher concentration was found in 2016 and 2018. Two individual anthocyanins were identified in sour cherry fruits. Cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside is the predominant form in the pool of total anthocyanins.

Identification and Quantification of Bioactive Compounds in Organic and Conventional Edible Pansy Flowers (Viola × wittrockiana) and Their Antioxidant Activity

“…The remaining flavonoids (quercetin and its derivatives, and myricetin) were abundant at higher concentrations in organic pansy flowers ( Table 2 a). Similar relationships were presented for organic and conventional sour cherries and raspberries [ 39 , 66 ]. Pansy flowers with violet/yellow pigmentation were characterized by higher concentrations of quercetin-3- O -rutinoside, quercetin-3- O -glucoside, and pure quercetin than yellow pansy flowers.…”

“…There were no similar results, so the concentration of flavonoids in pansy flowers was compared with that of strawberry and sour cherry fruits. As reported in the literature, organic fruits are characterized by a higher concentration of flavonoids than conventional fruits [ 65 , 66 ]. The authors have much more information on the differences in the contents of flavonoid compounds in pansy flowers with different petal pigmentations.…”

Prunus lusitanica L. Fruits as a Novel Source of Bioactive Compounds with Antioxidant Potential: Exploring the Unknown

“…In studies carried out on other fruits belonging to the Prunus genus, the obtained levels of phenolic acids were much lower than those obtained in this study, which leads us to consider that Prunus lusitanica fruits are a valuable source of hydroxycinnamic acids. Głowacka et al [ 63 ] carried out a 4-year study on sour cherry ( Prunus cerasus ) and obtained maximum concentrations of 7.6 mg/100 g fw of phenolic acids. In Prunus avium , Mikulic-Petkovsek et al [ 19 ] found a total hydroxycinnamic acid value of 44.24 mg/100 g fw, and Średnicka-Tober et al [ 53 ] obtained, in the same species, values ranging from 35.60 to 49.69 mg/100 g fw.…”

A Long-Term Study on Chemical Compounds and Their Location in Sweet Basil Leaves from Organic and Conventional Producers

“…Organic plant management is represented by systems that are stabilized for years. To better understand the chemical composition of organic and conventional plants, long-term experiments should be conducted [22][23][24][25][26]. In the present literature, only a few experiments were conducted with the distribution of phenolic and carotenoid compounds in plant tissues, but not with basil, especially in comparison between organic and conventional plants.…”