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Chemical characterization and antioxidant potential of the Rowan berry fruits (Sorbus aucuparia L.) from various natural habitats in Croatia

The Rowan berry (Sorbus aucuparia L.) is a tree in the Rosaceae family with characteristic orange-red berries. Raw fruits can be used for making jams, juices, purees, as well as dried ones for teas. In alternative medicine, they are used to prevent scurvy and bleeding or as a diuretic and laxative. Aim of this study was to characterize the basic chemical composition, antioxidant potential and mineral profile of the Rowan berry fruits for the potential use as functional food. Fruits were collected in the mountain region of Croatia at six different locations of both Gorski kotar and Velebit. After collection, samples were transported to the laboratory, chopped into small pieces, placed in plastic containers and stored at -20 ºC until analysis. Basic chemical composition, including moisture, total ash, fiber, total fat, crude protein and total sugar, was determined according to the official AOAC methods (n=63). Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidative capacity (TAC) were also measured (n=49). For multielement analysis, samples of fresh fruits (n=28) were cleaned from the dust, lyophilized, homogenized and acid digested in a microwave system. Concentrations of elements were quantified using ICPMS method. The basic constituents in analyzed fruits were 76% of moisture, 4.7% of total sugars, 2.9% of crude proteins, 1.5% of total fats, 1.3% of cellulose and 1.1% of ash. The TPC was in range from 6.8 to 12.6 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight (dw). Average TAC of extracts measured by DPPH and FRAP assay was 60.1% and 23.7 mmol Fe2+/100 g dw, respectively. On average, element concentrations (mg/kg dw) decreased as follows: K (9520) > Ca (1723) > P (804) > Mg (784) > Na (25) > Fe, Mn (14) > Zn (4.3) > Cu (2.8)> Mo (0.38) > Co (0.01) > Se (0.005). In comparison with literature, we found that phenolic and mineral content of the Rowan berry fruits are similar with that of raspberry and blueberry. Finally, our results suggest that the Rowan berry fruits have valuable nutritional properties and could be useful for the fortification in food industry.

Rowan berry fruits ; phenolic content ; antioxidative capacity ; minerals

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