Accumulation of Anthocyanins and Other Phytochemicals in American Elderberry Cultivars during Fruit Ripening and its Impact on Color Expression

Abstract

American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is a plant native to North America with anthocyanin-rich fruits. Our objective was to investigate the effects of cultivar and ripeness on the phytochemical characteristics of its fruits and the corresponding color performance. Cultivars ‘Adams’, ‘Johns’, ‘Nova’, ‘Wyldewood’, and ‘York’ were examined for their °Brix, pH, anthocyanin (pH-differential method), and phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteau method). Extract composition were analyzed by uHPLC-PDA-MS/MS. Color and spectra were determined using a plate reader. All characteristics evaluated were significantly affected by ripeness and cultivar, except for °Brix and total phenolic content, which did not vary significantly among cultivars. Most anthocyanins (63–72%) were acylated with p-coumaric acid, with cyanidin-3-(trans)-coumaroylsambubioside-5-glucoside the most predominant. The proportion of acylated anthocyanins was the only characteristic evaluated that decreased during ripening (from 80 to 70%). Extract from fully-ripened fruits exhibited red (lvis-max ~520 nm) and blue hues (lvis-max ~600 nm) at acidic and alkaline pH, respectively. Extracts from half-ripe fruit rendered yellowish tones and overall dull color. C-18 semi-purified extracts displayed higher color saturation (smaller L* and larger C*ab) than crude extracts. The vibrant and broad color expression of fully-ripened fruit extract, especially after C-18 purification, suggests this North American native plant as a promising natural colorant source.

Antioxidant capacity of wild-growing bilberry, elderberry, and strawberry fruits

“…The pH of the bilberry pulp was 3.12, which was lower than the pH of strawberry (3.57) and elderberry (3.84). These results are in agreement with findings of other researchers who investigated properties of elderberry (Vujanović et al, 2020;Zhou et al, 2020) and bilberry (Bernal et al, 2014;Colak et al, 2016;Celik et al, 2018). Titratable acidity of all three investigated fruits was within the same range (1.22-1.28% citric acid) and is in good agreement with literature data (Vulić et al, 2008;Özgen et al, 2010;Colak et al, 2016;Celik et al, 2018).…”

“…Elderberry contained the highest concentration of TP (17.40 mg.GAE.g -1 FW), by strawberry (14.33 mg GAE.g'1 FW) and bilberry fruits (11.14 mg.GAE g -1 FW). The content of measured TP in our experiment was higher compared to literature data for elderberry (Özgen et al, 2010;Elez Garofulić et al, 2012;Vujanović et al, 2020;Zhou et al, 2020), strawberry (Wang & Lewers, 2007;Peñarrieta et al, 2009;Dyduch-Siemińska et al, 2015) and bilberry (Bunea et al, 2011;Milivojevic et al, 2012;Poiana et al, 2012;Bernal et al, 2014;Celik et al, 2018). Some researchers detected higher amount of TP in elderberry fruits compared to results obtained in our experiment (Tumbas et al, 2010;Colak et al, 2016).…”

Fruit Quality Characteristics and Biochemical Composition of Fully Ripe Blackberries Harvested at Different Times

“…Despite the fact that the presence of cyanidin derivatives in fruit is reported to contribute to a red coloration [ 30 ], the reason for the dark blackberry coloration is an extremely high concentration of cyanidin glycosides. It is the same with elderberries and dark carrots, whose fruits are reflected by a very dark purple, almost black colour, but contain mainly cyanidin derivatives [ 31 , 32 ].…”

Potential Use of Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) as Natural Colorant and Antioxidant in the Food Industry. A Review

“…In contrast with these findings, some authors reported that cyanidin 3-sambubioside-5-glucoside had higher values (36.4%) than cyanidin 3-glucoside (<20%) [3], while in American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), cyanidin 3-(trans)-coumaroyl-sambubioside-5-glucoside (65-70%) [49] and cyanidin 3-sambubioside-5-glucoside (~50%) [32] were the most abundant anthocyanins. Nevertheless, it is clear that cyanidin 3-sambubioside, cyanidin 3-glucoside, and cyanidin 3-sambubioside-5-O-glucoside are the most important anthocyanins in elderberries (Sambucus nigra L.).…”

“…However, the typical color of these compounds varies with the pH. The elderberries' anthocyanins exhibit red hues at acidic and blue hues at alkaline pH [49]. Particularly, elderberry is used as a food colorant and in pharmaceuticals [26].…”