Comparison of antioxidant capacity and phenolic compounds of berries, chokecherry and seabuckthorn

Antioxidant capacity and phenolic compounds (phenolic acids and anthocyanins) of four berry fruits (strawberry, Saskatoon berry, raspberry and wild blueberry), chokecherry and seabuckthorn were compared in the present study. Total phenolic content and total anthocyanin content ranged from 22.83 to 131.88 g/kg and 3.51 to 13.13 g/kg, respectively. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity ranged from 29.97 to 78.86%. Chokecherry had the highest antioxidant capacity when compared with berry fruits and seabuckthorn. The highest caffeic acid, gallic acid and trans-cinnamic acid levels were found in chokecherry (6455 mg/kg), raspberry (1129 mg/kg) and strawberry (566 mg/kg), respectively. Caffeic acid was also the major phenolic acid in Saskatoon berry (2088 mg/kg) and wild blueberry (1473 mg/kg). The findings that chokecherry has very high antioxidant capacity and caffeic acid levels, are useful for developing novel value-added antioxidant products and also provide evidence essential for breeding novel cultivars of fruit plants with strong natural antioxidants.