Abstract
Purpose: To assess the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of polyphenolic extracts of three wild red wild berry fruit species from Southeast Serbia, viz, European cornel (Cornus mas), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) and wild blackberry (Rubus fruticosus). Methods: Polyphenol content was determined using spectrophotometric and High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. Antioxidant activity was estimated by 2,2`- diphenyl - 1 - picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test while reliminary antimicrobial tests were carried out by disc diffusion method in which antibacterial activity was evaluated by measuring the zone of inhibition against test bacterial strains. Broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Results: The highest amount of total phenols was found in European cornel (8625.89 mg kg -1 FW). Galic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, (+)-catechin, procyanidin B2, (-)-epicatechin, quercetin, rutin and quercetin-3-glucoside were the main polyphenols in the fruit extracts. All extracts showed high scavenging effect on DPPH radical with IC 50 values ranging from 22.19 to 31.18 ml g -1 , as well as high antimicrobial activity on almost all the tested bacterial strains. Conclusion: Extracts of wild berry fruits may be suitable for the preparation of medicinal and nutritional products. Keywords: European cornel, Blackthorn, Wild blackberry, Polyphenols, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial
Highlights
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) is a perennial shrub, native to Europe
The antimicrobial activity data for all investigated extract of wild berry fruits are given in Tables 4 and 5
The results show high concentrations of total phenols in all the fruit extracts which is in agreement with literature data [6,7,16]
Summary
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) is a perennial shrub, native to Europe. It prefers well-drained, loamy and moist soils. Blackberry is very tolerant of poor soils and was usually used to treat dysentery, diarrhea, hemorrhoids and cystitis in folk medicine [1,2,3,4,5]. It can be used as prevention against heart disease, cancer and eye degenerations. Blackthorn is a deciduous large shrub or a small tree growing up to 5 meters in height. Sloe berries can be used for stimulation of our metabolism, and can be of very good use in cases of eczema, herpes, allergies, colds, catarrh, indigestion, kidney stones, and skin and bladder disorders
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