Abstract
Chemical characterizations of leaves and fruits that were obtained from organically and integrally produced strawberries (′Favette′, ′Alba′, and ′Clery′) and blueberries (′Bluecrop′, ′Duke′, and ′Nui′) from western Serbia were undertaken in this study. Phenolic analysis was done while using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a linear ion trap-Orbitrap hybrid mass analyzer, while total phenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), and radical-scavenging activity (RSA) by spectrophotometry. In general, leaves and fruits from blueberry showed higher levels of TPC and TAC as compared to strawberry. These chemical traits were larger in organic grown fruits and larger in leaves than fruits. The most abundant phenolics in leaves and fruits of blueberry was 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, followed by quercetin 3-O-galactoside, while catechin, quercetin, and kaempferol 3-O-glucosid were dominant in the leaves and fruits of strawberry. cis, trans-Abscisic acid was detected in all fruit samples, but not in leaves. Blueberries (both fruits and leaves) were separated from strawberries, but only organic blueberry fruits were distinguished from integrated fruits, according to principal component analysis. Quercetin, kaempferol, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, catechin, p-coumaric acid, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were the most influential phenolic compounds for the separation. Much higher contents of TPC, RSA, TAC, quercetin 3-O-galactoside, and quercetin were found in fruits and TPC, RSA, catechin, p-hydroxybenzoicacid, p-coumaricacid, and ferulic acid in leaves in all three blueberry cultivars and the strawberry cultivar ′Clery′. These phenolic compounds are good sources of antioxidant compounds with potentially high beneficial effects on human health.
Highlights
Cultivated strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) and highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosumL.) are considered to be economically important freshly consumed fruits, and the production volumes are rapidly increasing worldwide during recent years [1,2,3,4]
Higher contents of total phenolics and total anthocyanins were observed in blueberry fruit samples (TPC: 2.27–6.26 g GAE/kg; Total Anthocyanin Content (TAC): 0.62–2.86 g cy-3-glu/kg) than in strawberry fruits (TPC: 1.18–2.27 g GAE/kg; TAC: 0.16–0.37 g cy-3-glu/kg)
All of the organically produced strawberry and blueberry fruit samples were characterised with significantly higher radical-scavenging activity (RSA), total phenolic content (TPC), and TAC values when compared with integrated fruits
Summary
Cultivated strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) and highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosumL.) are considered to be economically important freshly consumed fruits, and the production volumes are rapidly increasing worldwide during recent years [1,2,3,4]. Management Directive 2009/128/ EC, while organic production is implementing European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming [Council Regulation (EC) 834/2007] Some principles of both production systems are similar and both products are considered to be ‘premium‘ food, but as compared to organic production, where no synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are allowed, in integrated production the use of chemicals and artificial inputs are not restricted [5]. There has been an increasing interest in organic fruit production due to environmental, economic, and social concerns Besides avoiding chemicals, it lowers soil degradation, minimizes non-recyclable inputs and the presence of pesticide residues in food, manages animals extensively with focus on their wellbeing, and preserves natural resources and the rural landscapes, making it environmentally friendlier, safer, and contributing to the global food security [6,7]. Some scientific studies affirmed the nutritional value of organic fruits based on their greater concentration of potent phenolic compounds that are believed to be more nutritious and beneficial to human health [10,11,12]
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