The strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.), grown throughout the Mediterranean, produces edible fruit; as it is easily bruised, the sweet, reddish fruit is used mostly to prepare jams, marmalades and alcoholic beverages. As the genus is paraphyletic, phytochemical analysis can assist in defining the fruit composition with the species Arbutus unedo L. (A. unedo). Here we report on the carbohydrate, total sugar, protein, fat, fiber, ash, and mineral content of wild fruit, harvested from 45 specimens from five locations. The dominant nutrients were carbohydrates (78.2–84.8 g/100 g), total sugars (52.1–67.2 g/100 g) and dietary fiber (11.0–20.1 g/100 g). Other important nutrients supplied by A. unedo fruit include P, K, and Fe. The fruit was observed to contain health-promoting components providing 42 and 36%, of recommended daily allowance (RDA) for fiber and zinc, respectively, as well as iron and manganese, at levels exceeding minimum RDA. The free-sugar profile revealed high glucose followed by fructose content with minor amounts of sucrose (14, 11, and 6 g/100 g, respectively). Significant differences both between regions and within individuals were observed for several traits. The richness of fruit nutrients in A. unedo confers nutritional value and as such, a promising alternative fruit source.

Leaf mineral composition reflects the complex interaction between soil, climate, and plant genetic and epigenetic background in terms of organic and inorganic composition. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of seven soil compositions on the mineral contents of Strawberry leaves (Arbutus unedo) under Moroccan conditions. The obtained results demonstrated a significant positive correlation between the soil nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels and their levels in the Strawberry plant leaves. Also, a positive relation was reported between the soil organic matter and the level of manganese and phosphorus in leaves. Moreover, a significant negative correlation was demonstrated between the soil organic matter and the plant pH level. These correlations were confirmed by the principal component analysis (PCA) which demonstrated the presence of three principal components accounting for 54.42% of the total variations, reflecting the important proportions of the various patterns of mineral and organic traits among accessions. In PCA, the most discriminative traits were clustered in PC1 and PC2. These findings may highlight the specific mineral needs for the A. unedo plant for its optimal cultivation and subsequent domestication in Morocco.

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This study was aimed at determining the phenolic composition and the antioxidant activity of leaves of Arbutus unedo populations belonging to seven Moroccan locations. Antioxidant activity is evaluated using two methods: scavenging effect on DPPH and scavenging effect on ABTS radicals. The Arbutus unedo leaf extracts displayed average values of 61.95 mg GAE, 3.60 mg QE, and 0.15 mg CE per g of dry weight (DW) in polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins contents, respectively. All extracts exhibited a strong antioxidant effect on both assays, presenting mean IC50 values of 4.22 in DPPH assay and 4.86 μg/ml in ABTS assay. Significant variability (P < 0.0001) was showed among surveyed populations; samples from the Chefchaouen location (CH) was revealed the highest total phenolic content (107.67 mg GAE/g DW) and the strongest antioxidant activity (IC50 values of 0.80 and 1.56 μg/ml, in DPPH and ABTS tests, respectively). The phenolic profile achieved by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS was dominated by gallic acid, Gallic acid glucose derivative, and Galloylquinic acid derivative. A significant negative correlation (P < 0.05) was observed between the total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity. These results provide that Arbutus unedo leaves should be considered as a promising source of natural antioxidants, and as ingredients in complimentary food and nutraceutical products.