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Albarouki, Emad, Angela Peterson. 2007March. Molecular and morphological characterization of Crataegus L. species (Rosaceae) in southern Syria. Botanical journal of the Linnean Society 153(no. 3): 255-263.

The systematics of the genus Crataegus (Rosaceae) have been considered problematic owing to the fact that hybridization, introgression, polyploidy and apomixis may occur in this genus. A study of the Crataegus species from the Arab mountains, Sweida Province, Syria, has been undertaken based on both plastid DNA sequences (trnL-trnF, psbA-trnH) and morphological data. In the investigated region, three morphologically distinguishable Crataegus species: C. azarolus var. aronia L., C. x sinaica Boiss. ssp. sinaica and C. monogyna var. monogyna Jacq. were investigated. Crataegus azarolus can be clearly distinguished morphologically from C. monogyna by the colour, size and structure of fruits, the number of pyrenes, the flowering and ripening time, the density of thorns, the tree shape and also the leaf shape. According to our morphological data, in Syria, C. x sinaica is variable and could represent a hybrid of C. azarolus x C. monogyna; the cpDNA sequence analysis showed sequences corresponding to C. monogyna as the plausible mother of the hybrid.

Atanasova-Goranova, V.K.; Dimova, P.I.; Pevicharova, G.T. 1997Aug. Effect of food products on endogenous generation of N-nitrosamines in rats. British journal of nutrition 78 (2): 335-345.

An experiment was conducted to study the efficacy of two tomato pastes and aronia nectar (fruit juice + pulp from the black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa Elliot) as inhibitors of nitrosamine production in cancer prophylaxis programmes. White male rats of the Wistar strain were employed in an acute trial. Aminopyrin + sodium nitrite (APSN) were used as precursors for generation of endogenous nitrosamine. The animals were allocated to different dietary groups and fed by intubation with APSN or APSN + food products. Introduction of tomato paste (TP), high-beta-carotene tomato paste (HCTP) and aronia nectar (AN) as inhibitors of N-nitrosamine formation exerted a positive effect on blood and liver variables which was demonstrated by decreased concentrations of glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (EC 2.6.1.1), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (EC 2.6.1.2) and uric acid in serum and lipid content in hepatocytes. Animals treated with APSN developed dystrophic changes in liver such as centrolobular necrosis, intense exangia, and enlarged cells with two, often large, pyknotic nuclei, while the structure of livers of rats fed with TP, HCTP or AN was well protected and almost normal. TP had a particularly beneficial effect on serum total protein and albumin concentrations as had AN on the urea value. The inhibitory effect of the food products used is explained by their chemical nature including pH

Benvenuti, S.; Pellati, F.; Melegari, M.; Bertelli, D. 2004April. Polyphenols, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, and radical scavenging activity of Rubus, Ribes, and Aronia. Journal of food science 69(no. 3): fct164-fct169.

Bermudez-Soto, M.J.; García-Conesa, M.T.; Tomás-Barberán, F.A. 2007. Stability of polyphenols in chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) subjected to in vitro gastric and pancreatic digestion. Food chemistry, 2007, v. 102, issue 3, p. 865-874.

Berries and red fruits are dietary sources of polyphenols with reported health benefits. As part of the diet, polyphenols are ingested as complex mixtures immersed in a food matrix which is digested in the gut. Epithelial cells lining the gut are regularly exposed to these digested mixtures. To understand the effects of dietary polyphenols on human gut health it is essential to determine their stability and fate in the lumen. In this work, we investigated the effects of an in vitro gastric and pancreatic digestion on the stability and composition of the major polyphenols in chokeberry juice. Digestion was carried out with a mixture of pepsin-HCl for 2 h, followed by a 2 h incubation with pancreatin and bile salts at 37 °C with shaking, in the absence of light and under N2. After digestion, the chokeberry samples were acidified, filtered and HPLC-DAD/HPLC-MS-MS analysed to determine the content of total soluble recovered phenolics. Gastric digestion had no substantial effect on any of the major phenolic compounds in chokeberry, namely anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols and caffeic acid derivatives. However, these compounds were significantly altered during the pancreatic digestion and this effect was more marked for anthocyanins (approximately 43% was lost during the 2 h treatment with pancreatin). Flavonols and flavan-3-ols decreased by 26% and 19%, respectively. Neochlorogenic acid decreased by 28% whereas chlorogenic acid was increased by 24%. In vitro digestion of standard phenolic compounds, representing each of the groups of phenolics in chokeberry, confirmed some of the observed changes. Interactions with the digestive enzymes were not responsible for the observed losses which were mostly due to the chemical conditions during pancreatic digestion. Our results, in accordance with previously published results, show that dietary polyphenols are highly sensitive to the mild alkaline conditions in the small intestine and that a good proportion of these compounds can be transformed into other unknown and/or undetected structural forms with different chemical properties and, consequently, different bioaccessibility, bioavailability and biological activity.

Brand, M.H. 1992Fall. A poor common name plagues the chokeberries. Yankee nursery quarterly 2 (3): 1-3.

Bridle, P.; Timberlake, C.F. 1997 Jan/Feb. Anthocyanins as natural food colours--selected aspects. Food chemistry 58 (1/2): 103-109. The anthocyanins have a long history as part of the human diet, these and other flavonoids, are receiving renewed attention for their positive health attributes. The principal commercially available anthocyanin food colorants, grape, elderberry, red cabbage and roselle are considered and others mentioned. Factors affecting the usage of extracts, in terms of colour hue and stability are discussed. Chemical aspects of anthocyanin colour are summarised briefly and the advantages of acylation for colour durability noted as a promising area for future development. Special emphasis is placed on quantitative information where applicable.

Chandra, A.; Rana, J.; Li, Y. 2001Aug. Separation, identification, quantification, and method validation of anthocyanins in botanical supplement raw materials by HPLC and HPLC-MS. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 49 (8): 3515-3521.

A method has been established and validated for identification and quantification of individual, as well as total, anthocyanins by HPLC and LC/ES-MS in botanical raw materials used in the herbal supplement industry. The anthocyanins were separated and identified on the basis of their respective M(+) (cation) using LC/ES-MS. Separated anthocyanins were individually calculated against one commercially available anthocyanin external standard (cyanidin-3-glucoside chloride) and expressed as its equivalents. Amounts of each anthocyanin calculated as external standard equivalent were then multiplied by a molecular-weight correction factor to afford their specific quantities. Experimental procedures and use of a molecular-weight correction factors are substantiated and validated using Balaton tart cherry and elderberry as templates. Cyanidin-3-glucoside chloride has been widely used in the botanical industry to calculate total anthocyanins. In our studies on tart cherry and elderberry, its use as external standard followed by use of molecular-weight correction factors should provide relatively accurate results for total anthocyanins, because of the presence of cyanidin as their major anthocyanidin backbone. The method proposed here is simple and has a direct sample preparation procedure without any solid-phase extraction. It enables selection and use of commercially available anthocyanins as external standards for quantification of specific anthocyanins in the sample matrix irrespective of their commercial availability as analytical standards. It can be used as a template and applied for similar quantification in several anthocyanin-containing raw materials for routine quality control procedures, thus providing consistency in analytical testing of botanical raw materials used for manufacturing efficacious and true-to-the-label nutritional supplements.

Colon, W., M.E. Kane. 1991June. Effects of abscisic acid on photosynthesis, growth and development of stage III Aronia arbutifolia (Rosaceae). Proceedings of the ... annual meeting of the Florida State Horticulture Society 103: 178-182.

Hudec, J.; Bakos, D.; Mravec, D.; Kobida, L.; Burdova, M.; Turianica, I.; Hlusek, J. 2006May 17. Content of phenolic compounds and free polyamines in black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) after application of polyamine biosynthesis regulators. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 54(no. 10): 3625-3628.

The total contents of anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolics in 60 samples of black chokeberries (Aronia melanocarpa), after treating with catabolites of polyamine biosynthesis (KPAb) and ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor, were analyzed spectrophotometrically, and quercetin and free polyamine contents were analyzed by RP-HPLC with UV detection. The average total contents of the individual substances and phenolic subgroups in control berries were as follows (mg.kg(-1)): anthocyanines, 6408; flavonoids, 664; phenolics, 37 600; quercetin, 349. KPAb decreased total contents of anthocyanines and phenolics only slightly but significantly increased the content of flavonoids. This caused an important change in the abundance of flavonoids in the pigment complex. The absolute content of quercetin was increased, but its ratio to flavonoids content was decreased. Ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor had a markedly different effect as it significantly increased total content of anthocyanins and total phenolics, inhibited the total content of free polyamines, and stimulated the processes of saccharides transformation to phenolic pigments.

Hukkanen, A.T.; Polonen, S.S.; Karenlampi, S.O.; Kokko, H.I. 2006January. Antioxidant capacity and phenolic content of sweet rowanberries. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 54(no. 1): 112-119.

Sweet rowanberry cultivars adapted to northern climates have been developed from rowanberries (Sorbus aucuparia L.) and hybrids of rowanberry with Malus, Pyrus, Aronia, or Mespilus. The rowanberries studied here (cvs. Burka, Dessertnaja, Eliit, Granatnaja, Kubovaja, Rosina, Rubinovaja, Titan, and Zholtaja) have high antioxidant and phenolic contents. The phenolic content varied between 550 and 1014 mg/100 g of fresh weight in sweet rowanberries, whereas 846 and 717 mg were found in the well-characterized bilberry and lingonberry, respectively. Anthocyanins (6-80 mg) were mainly found from berries of hybrid cultivars. Of the other phenolics, chlorogenic (29-160 mg) and neochlorogenic (34-104 mg) acids constituted the major fraction in all rowanberries, the concentrations almost equaling those present in coffee. Antioxidant capacities of rowanberries were high, as measured with FRAP (61-105 micromol of Fe(2+)/g) and DPPH (21.3-9.7 g/g DPPH) methods. Principal component analysis was able to separate the cultivars of different origin into clusters on the basis of their phenolic profiles.

dt> Jeppsson, N.J. 1998December. Evaluation of black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa, germplasm for production of natural food colourants. Acta horticulturae (484): 193-198.

Kahkonen, M.P., A.I. Hopia, M. Heinonen. 2001Aug. Berry phenolics and their antioxidant activity. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 49 (8):4076-4082.

Phenolic profiles of a total of 26 berry samples, together with 2 apple samples, were analyzed without hydrolysis of glycosides with HPLC. The phenolic contents among different berry genera varied considerably. Anthocyanins were the main phenolic constituents in bilberry, bog-whortleberry, and cranberry, but in cowberries, belonging also to the family Ericaceae genus Vaccinium, flavanols and procyanidins predominated. In the family Rosaceae genus Rubus (cloudberry and red raspberry), the main phenolics found were ellagitannins, and in genus Fragaria (strawberry), ellagitannins were the second largest group after anthocyanins. However, phenolic acids were dominant in rowanberries (genus Sorbus) and anthocyanins in chokeberry (genus Aronia). In the family Grossulariaceae genus Ribes (currants and gooseberry), anthocyanins predominated, as well as in crowberries (family Empetraceae genus Empetrum). In apples, hydroxycinnamic acids were the main phenolic subgroup. Extraction methods for berries and apples were studied to produce phenolic extracts with high antioxidant activity. Evaluation of antioxidant activity was performed by autoxidazing methyl linoleate (40 degrees C, in the dark). The extraction method affected remarkably both the phenolic composition and the antioxidant activity, but with statistical analysis the observed activity could not be well explained with the contents of individual phenolic subgroups.

Kahkonen, M.P.; Hopia, A.I.; Vuorela, H.J.; Rauha, J.P.; Pihlaja, K.; Kujala, T.S.; Heinonen, M. 1999October. Antioxidant activity of plant extracts containing phenolic compounds. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 47 (10): 3954-3962.

The antioxidative activity of a total of 92 phenolic extracts from edible and nonedible plant materials (berries, fruits, vegetables, herbs, cereals, tree materials, plant sprouts, and seeds) was examined by autoxidation of methyl linoleate. The content of total phenolics in the extracts was determined spectrometrically according to the Folin-Ciocalteu procedure and calculated as gallic acid equivalents (GAE). Among edible plant materials, remarkable high antioxidant activity and high total phenolic content (GAE > 20 mg/g) were found in berries, especially aronia and crowberry. Apple extracts (two varieties) showed also strong antioxidant activity even though the total phenolic contents were low (GAE < 12.1 mg/g). Among nonedible plant materials, high activities were found in tree materials, especially in willow bark, spruce needles, pine bark and cork, and birch phloem, and in some medicinal plants including heather, bog-rosemary, willow herb, and meadowsweet. In addition, potato peel and beetroot peel extracts showed strong antioxidant effects. To utilize these significant sources of natural antioxidants, further characterization of the phenolic composition is needed.

Koyuncu, T.; Pinar, Y.; Lule, F. 2007Feb. Convective drying characteristics of azarole red (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.) and yellow (Crataegus aronia Bosc.) fruits [electronic resource]. Journal of food engineering 78(no. 4): 1471-1475.

Drying characteristics and energy requirement for drying of two different genotypes (Crataegus monogyna Jacq. and Crataegus aronia Bosc.) of azarole (Crataegus azarolus L.) red and yellow fruits were reported. Azarole fruits were dehydrated in a computer connected convective hot air dryer. Freshly harvested two different genotypes of azarole fruits were dried at 60 and 70 °C temperatures and drying air velocity was selected as 0.25 m/s for both temperatures. Azarole fruits were dehydrated from the initial moisture content of 211% and 273% (percentage dry basis) to a final moisture content of 8-9% for red and yellow fruits, respectively. During experiments, drying product were weighted automatically by the balance per 10 min. Data were transferred to the computer and processed by a software. The results indicated that drying air temperature significantly influenced the total drying time and total energy requirement for drying of both genotype azarole fruits. The minimum specific energy consumption for drying of red and yellow fruits were determined as 42.80 kWh/kg and 27.68 kWh/kg for 70 °C, respectively. In order to reduce drying energy consumption, it can be recommended that the drying temperature must not be less than 70 °C for this application.

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Ljubuncic, P.; Portnaya, I.; Cogan, U.; Azaizeh, H.; Bomzon, A. 2005Oct. Antioxidant activity of Crataegus aronia aqueous extract used in traditional Arab medicine in Israel. Journal of ethnopharmacology 101( no. 1-3): 153-161.

Matsumoto, M.; Hara, H.; Chiji, H.; Kasai, T. 2004April 21. Gastroprotective effect of red pigments in black chokeberry fruit (Aronia melanocarpa Elliot) on acute gastric hemorrhagic lesions in rats. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 52(no. 8): 2226-2229.

It has been reported that the fruits and leaves of berries such as the blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry contain a high level of scavenging activity for chemically generated active oxygen species. This study investigated the antioxidative activities of black chokeberry fruit (Aronia melanocarpa Elliot) both in vitro and in vivo using the DPPH stable radical and rats with ethanol-induced gastric injury, respectively. The red pigment fraction of the black chokeberry contained three main components, one of which was identified as cyanidin 3-O--glucoside by HPLC analysis and 1H NMR. The black chokeberry red pigment fraction scavenged >44% of DPPH radicals at a concentration of 25 microgram/mL compared to the control solution. The black chokeberry extract and its hydrolysate administrated at 2 g/kg of body weight each had nearly the same protective effect as quercetin administrated at 100 mg/kg of body weight in suppressing the area of gastric mucosal damage caused by the subsequent application of ethanol to <30% compared to the control group. The black chokeberry red pigment fraction had a similarly significant protective effect on gastric mucosa in a dose-dependent manner when administered at 30-300 mg/kg of body weight, and the administration of 30 mg/kg of body weight could suppress ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage by ~50% (ID50 = 30 mg/kg of body weight).

Pilaczynska-Szczesniak, L.; Skarpanska-Steinborn, A.; Deskur, E.; Basta, P.; Horoszkiewicz-Hassan, M. 2005Feb. The influence of chokeberry juice supplementation on the reduction of oxidative stress resulting from an incremental rowing ergometer exercise. International journal of sport nutrition & exercise metabolism 15(no. 1): 48-58.

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of an increased intake of anthocyanins, contained in chokeberry juice, on the redox parameters in rowers performing a physical exercise during a 1-month training camp. The athletes were randomly assigned to receive 150 mL of chokeberry juice daily, containing 23 mg/100 mL of anthocyanins (supplemented group), or placebo (control group). Before and after the supplementation period, the subjects performed an incremental rowing exercise test. Blood samples were taken from the antecubital vein before each exercise test, 1 min after the test, and following a 24-h recovery period. After the supplementation period, TBARS concentrations in the samples collected 1 min after the exercise test and following a 24-h recovery period were significantly lower in the subjects receiving chokeberry juice than in the control group. In the supplemented group, glutathione peroxidase activity was lower in the samples collected 1 min after the exercise test, and superoxide dismutase activity was lower in the samples taken following a 24-h recovery, as compared to the subjects receiving placebo. These findings indicate that an increased intake of anthocyanins limits the exercise-induced oxidative damage to red blood cells, most probably by enhancing the endogenous antioxidant defense system.

Oszmianski, Jan and Jean C. Sapis. 1988. Anthocyanins in Fruits of Aronia Melanocarpa (Chokeberry). Journal of Food Science 53(4): 1241.

Introduction [partial] Aronia Melanocarpa (chokeberry) is a widely distributed plant in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and North America. Its berries are dark red, almost black since skins and pulp are very rich in phenolics and particularly anthocyanins. The berries are useful as raw material for natural colorings and for pharmaceutical preparations or for production of red fruit wines.

Abstract: Anthocyanins from fruits of Aronia melanocarpa (chokeberry) were extracted with acidified ehtnaol and methanol and fractionated by high performance liquid chromatography. The pigment composition was very simple as there were only four compounds. Semi-preparative HPLC, thin-layer chromatography and spectral technqiues indicated cyanidin as a single aglycone and glucose, glaactose, arabinose, and xylose as associated sugars. The relative proportions of anthocyanins were determined. The major components were cyanidin 3-galactoside and cyanidin 3-arabinoside.

Oszmianski, J.; Wojdylo, A. 2005Nov. Aronia melanocarpa phenolics and their antioxidant activity. European food research and technology = Zeitschrift fur Lebensmittel-Untersuchung und -Forschung. A. 221(no. 6): 809-813.

Plocher, T. 1995. Experiments with aronia berries. Northern Nut Growers Association. Annual report 86: 128-129.

Slimestad, R.; Torskangerpoll, K.; Nateland, H.S.; Johannessen, T.; Giske, N.H. 2005Feb. Flavonoids from black chokeberries, Aronia melanocarpa. Journal of food composition and analysis 18(1): 61-68.

Sueiro, L.; Grace, M.H.; Lila, M.A.; De Mejia, E.G.; Yousef, G.G.; Seigler, D.. 2006Oct.ber. Chemopreventive Potential of Flavonoid Extracts from Plantation-Bred and Wild Aronia melanocarpa (Black Chokeberry) Fruits. Journal of food science 71(no. 8): c480-c488.

European plantation-bred (cultivated) and local Illinois (wild) Aronia melanocarpa (chokeberry) fruits were extracted with 70% aqueous acetone and separated into 6 fractions using vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) over a Toyopearl (TP) polymer column. TP fractions 2 through 6 were recombined and further subfractionated using silica gel (SG) into 22 subfractions. Crude extract, TP fractions, and SG subfractions were screened in a L1210 murine leukemia cell assay and a human DNA catalytic topoisomerase II assay in order to gauge the cancer chemopreventive potential of each genotype. SG subfraction 6 from the cultivated genotype showed >90% inhibitory activity at 25 (So(Bg/mL, and a similar fraction from the wild genotype showed >95% inhibitory activity to L1210 leukemia cells at a concentration of 50 (So(Bg/mL. On the basis of topoisomerase inhibition, it can be concluded that all TP fractions of the wild genotype act as catalytic inhibitors. Similar anthocyanins and oligomeric proanthocyanidins were identified from both Aronia genotypes; however, HPLC-ESI-MS spectra indicated higher flavonoid concentration in the wild Aronia and a predominance (up to 67%) of nonphenolic compounds in the berries from the cultivated genotype. Both cultivated and wild genotypes exhibited promise toward chemoprevention, but differed in levels of activity in the assays used to determine chemoprotective potential.

VALCHEVA-KUZMANOVA, S. ; KUZMANOV, K. ; MIHOVA, V. ; KRASNALIEV, I. ; BORISOVA, P. ; BELCHEVA, A. 2007March. Antihyperlipidemic Effect of Aronia melanocarpa Fruit Juice in Rats Fed a High-Cholesterol Diet [electronic resource]. Plant foods for human nutrition 62(no. 1) 19-24.

Aronia melanocrpa fruit juice (AMFJ) used in our experiment was very rich in phenolic substances (709.3 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 ml juice). Anthocyanins (106.8 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents/100 ml juice) were the main flavonoid group. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of AMFJ on plasma lipids and lipoprotein profile, and histopathology of liver and aorta in rats with dietary-induced hyperlipidemia. AMFJ was administered by gavage for 30 days at doses of 5, 10 and 20 ml/kg body weight to rats fed a standard diet (SD) or a 4% cholesterol-containing diet (4% ChD). The 4% ChD caused a significant elevation of plasma total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG). AMFJ did not significantly influence plasma lipids in rats fed the SD and significantly hindered the elevation of plasma TC, LDL-C and TG in rats fed the 4% ChD. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were not significantly influenced either by the 4% ChD or by AMFJ. Neither the cholesterol feeding, nor AMFJ treatment induced any histopathological changes in rat liver and aorta. In conclusion, AMFJ showed an antihyperlipidemic effect in rats with hyperlipidemia and could be valuable in reducing this factor of cardiovascular risk.

Wu, X.; Gu, L.; Prior, R.L.; McKay, S. 2004Dec. Characterization of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins in some cultivars of Ribes, Aronia, and Sambucus and their antioxidant capacity. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 52 (26): 7846-7856.

Anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins were characterized by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS coupled with a diode array and/or fluorescent detector in seven cultivars of Ribes nigrum (black currant) and Ribes rubrum (red currant, Red Lake), six cultivars of Ribes grossularia (gooseberries), Aronia melanocarpa (chokeberry), and Sambucus nigra (elderberry). Thirty-one different anthocyanins were detected in these berries, but not every anthocyanin was observed in each berry. A number of minor anthocyanins were identified from these berries for the first time. The concentrations of individual anthocyanins in all of the berries were quantified using relevant anthocyanidin 3-glucoside standards. Among the berries studied in this paper and in berries in general, chokeberry has the highest total anthocyanin concentrations [1480 mg/100 g of fresh weight (FW)], whereas the lowest total anthocyanin concentration in the berries studied was found in the gooseberry cv. Careless, which contained only 0.07 mg/100 g of FW. Two cultivars of gooseberries (Marigold and Leveller) did not contain any anthocyanins. Total proanthocyanidin concentrations in the berries studied ranged from 23 to 664 mg/100 g of FW in elderberry and chokeberry, respectively. Procyanidin or prodelphinidin polymers were the predominant components (> 65% w/w) in most of the berries. The lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities were measured by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC(FL)) procedure. The total antioxidant capacity varied from 21 micromol of TE/g of FW in Careless gooseberry to 161 micromol of TE/g of FW in chokeberry. Total phenolics in the berries in general paralleled hydrophilic antioxidant capacity.

Zheng, W.; Wang, S.Y. 2003Jan. 15. Oxygen radical absorbing capacity of phenolics in blueberries, cranberries, chokeberries, and lingonberries. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 51(2): 502-509.

The antioxidant activity of phenolics in fruits of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum cv. Sierra), cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon cv. Ben Lear), wild chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea cv. Amberland) was determined in this study. The phenolic constituents and contents among the different berries varied considerably. Anthocyanins were found to be the main components in all these berries. Chlorogenic acid in blueberry, quercetin glycosides in cranberry and lingonberry, and caffeic acid and its derivative in chokeberry were also present in relatively high concentrations. Chlorogenic acid, peonidin 3-galactoside, cyanidin 3-galactoside, and cyanidin 3-galactoside were the most important antioxidants in blueberry, cranberry, wild chokeberry, and lingonberry, respectively. The contribution of individual phenolics to the total antioxidant capacity was generally dependent on their structure and content in the berries. Phenolics such as quercetin and cyanidin, with 3',4'-dihydroxy substituents in the B ring and conjugation between the A and B rings, had highly effective radical scavenging structures in blueberries, cranberries, chokeberries, and lingonberries. Phenolic acids such as caffeic acid also showed high antioxidant activity, probably due to its dihydroxylation in the 3,4 positions as hydrogen donors.

Zhao, C.; Giusti, M.M.; Malik, M.; Moyer, M.P.; Magnuson, B.A. 2004Oct 6. Effects of commercial anthocyanin-rich extracts on colonic cancer and nontumorigenic colonic cell growth. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 52 (20): 6122-6128.

Commercially prepared grape (Vitis vinifera), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), and chokeberry (Aronia meloncarpa E.) anthocyanin-rich extracts (AREs) were investigated for their potential chemopreventive activity against colon cancer. The growth of colon-cancer-derived HT-29 and nontumorigenic colonic NCM460 cells exposed to semipurified AREs (10-75 microgram of monomeric anthocyanin/mL) was monitored for up to 72 h using a sulforhodamine B assay. All extracts inhibited the growth of HT-29 cells, with chokeberry ARE being the most potent inhibitor. HT-29 cell growth was inhibited ~50% after 48 h of exposure to 25 microgram/mL chokeberry ARE. Most importantly, the growth of NCM460 cells was not inhibited at lower concentrations of all three AREs, illustrating greater growth inhibition of colon cancer, as compared to nontumorigenic colon cells. Extracts were semipurified and characterized by high-pressure liquid chromatography, spectrophotometry, and colorimetry. Grape anthocyanins were the glucosylated derivatives of five different anthocyanidin molecules, with or without p-coumaric acid acylation. Bilberry contained five different anthocyanidins glycosylated with galactose, glucose, and arabinose. Chokeberry anthocyanins were cyanidin derivatives, monoglycosylated mostly with galactose and arabinose. The varying compositions and degrees of growth inhibition suggest that the anthocyanin chemical structure may play an important role in the growth inhibitory activity of commercially available AREs.

Zlatanov, M.D. 1999Sept. Lipid composition of Bulgarian chokeberry, black currant and rose hip seed oils. Journal of the science of food and agriculture 79 (12): 1620-1624.

The lipid composition of chokeberry, black currant and rose hip seeds was investigated. The seeds contain 19.3g kg(-1), 22.0 g kg(-1) and 8.2 g kg(-1) glyceride oil respectively. The content of phospholipids, mainly phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine, was 2.8 g kg(-1), 1.3 g kg(-1) and 1.4 g kg(-1) respectively. The total amounts of sterols were 1.2 g kg(-1), 1.4 g kg(-1) and 0.4 g kg(-1). The main component was beta-sitosterol, followed by campesterol and delta(5)-avenasterol. In the tocopherol fraction (55.5 mg kg(-1) in chokeberry oil, 249.6 mg kg(-1) in black currant oil and 89.4 mg kg(-1) in rose hip oil), alpha-tocopherol predominated in chokeberry oil (70.6 mg kg(-1)). gamma-Tocopherol was the main component in black currant oil (55.4 mg kg(-1)) and rose hip oil (71.0 mg kg(-1)). The fatty acid composition of triacylglycerols, individual phospholipids and sterol esters was also identified. In the phospholipids and sterol esters, the more saturated fatty acids, mainly palmitic, stearic, and long chain fatty acids predominated.