Abstract
Phenolic compounds are a widespread group of secondary metabolites found in all plants, representing the most desirable antioxidants due to their potential to be used as additives in the food industry (inhibition of lipid oxidation), and in cosmetology and medicine (protection against oxidative stress). In recent years, demand for the identification of edible sources rich in phenolic antioxidants, as well as the development of new natural plant products to be used as dietary supplements or pharmaceuticals, has been a great preoccupation. At present, from the “circular economy” perspective, there is an increased interest to use agricultural waste resources to produce high-value compounds. Vaccinium leaves and stems are considered essentially an agro-waste of the berry industry. Scientific studies have shown that phenolic compounds were found in a markedly higher content in the leaves and stems of Vaccinium plants than in the fruits, in agreement with the strongest biological and antioxidant activities displayed by these aerial parts compared to fruits. This paper aims to review the current state of the art regarding the phenolic antioxidants from leaves and stems of two wild Vaccinium species, bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.), as promising natural resources with pharmaceutical and biological activity.
Highlights
The interest in phenolic compounds has grown over recent years, because they are excellent antioxidants
This review reports a comprehensive study, leading to the pharmaceutical and biological activities of phenolic secondary metabolites isolated from the leaves and stems of Vaccinium plants, with focus on the wild species bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.)
This synthesis provides information on the potential of the use of leaves and stems of Vaccinium myrtillus L. and Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. as a promising source of phenolic compounds, so they are suitable for valorization as valuable feedstocks for the production of functional foods or pharmaceuticals with nutritional properties and biological activity against diet-related oxidative stress
Summary
The interest in phenolic compounds has grown over recent years, because they are excellent antioxidants. Leaf and stem extracts of bilberry and lingonberry were found to protect dietary lipids from oxidation in an in vitro model of gastric digestion [16] Increased attention for these raw materials is associated with their phenolic composition, antioxidant activity, and potential health-related benefits. The main classes of phenolic compounds present in the leaves and stems of Vaccinium myrtillus L. and Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. are phenolic acids (mainly chlorogenic acid), flavonoids, flavonol glycosides, and (epi)catechin monomers and oligomers [6,10,12,14,15,17,18], all known to be powerful antioxidants that act by directly trapping ROS, chelating transition metal ions, and inhibiting enzymes involved in the oxidative stress [19,20].
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