Abstract
Maturity stage affects the bioactive compounds as well as the antioxidant capacity in the fruit. This study was designed to identify and quantify carotenoids, as well as to evaluate vitamin E, vitamin C, antioxidant capacity and total phenolic compounds of Rosa rugosa hips at different degrees of ripeness. HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) analysis showed different types of carotenoids at different stages of maturity of R. rugosa hips with significant differences (p ˂ 0.05), where the maximum concentration was observed at late harvesting. In the hips investigated, only α-tocopherol was detected, the maximum concentration of both vitamin E and vitamin C was obtained in the orange hips with significant difference (p ˂ 0.05). On the other hand, the highest hydrophilic and lipophilic TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) values, as well as total phenolic contents, were determined in the mature hips (red colour) with significant difference (p < 0.0001) and (p < 0.001) respectively, whereas ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) showed lower activity in the mature hips with significant difference (p ˂ 0.05). Late harvesting is recommended if a high content of carotenoids is desired, while harvesting should be carried out earlier if a higher vitamin E and vitamin C content is desired, which in turn affects the antioxidants capacity.
Highlights
Recent developments in the fields of health and food have led to a renewed interest in natural compounds with antioxidant potential
Since most of the hips are harvested from wild plant groups, it is difficult to maintain quality aspects such as the contents of vitamins and antioxidants in raw materials during manufacturing processes
Rosehips had more recently attracted attention because of their potential health benefits, there was little information about the changes of antioxidants properties that occur during the maturity especially in R. rugosa
Summary
Recent developments in the fields of health and food have led to a renewed interest in natural compounds with antioxidant potential. The selection of species/varieties with high contents of bioactive compounds and harvesting at the optimum time can promote the increase in the uptake of bioactive compounds from the fruits and vegetables. Rosehips have a fairly long maturation period, harvesting once a year in the autumn after the first night frost. The rosehip fruit has been increasingly studied for its preventive properties [5]. Previous studies reported that rosehips contain higher amounts of various bioactive compounds than several other fruits such as: carotenoids, vitamins ( vitamins C, E and provitamin A), flavonoids, tannins and fatty acids [3,6,7].
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