Elderberry, an Ancient Remedy: A Comprehensive Study of the Bioactive Compounds in Three Sambucus nigra L. Subspecies

Abstract

Elderberry, the fruit of Sambucus nigra, has become a popular inclusion in foods, beverages, supplements, and more in recent years. Although the European subspecies, S. nigra ssp. nigra, has been widely studied for its composition, particularly for phenolic and volatile profiles, other subspecies, such as the American elderberry S. nigra ssp. canadensis and the blue elderberry S. nigra ssp. cerulea, have also become contenders in the elderberry supply chain. For the first time, the composition (including micronutrients, macronutrients, organic acids, titratable acid, soluble solids, phenolic compounds, and cyanogenic glycosides) of these three subspecies of elderberry is compared, highlighting the unique qualities of each subspecies and identifying gaps in the available data on the three subspecies. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, Volume 15 is April 2024. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Development of Potential Therapeutic Agents from Black Elderberries (the Fruits of Sambucus nigra L.)

“…nigra), and the blue elderberry (S. nigra ssp. cerulea), of which the European elderberry is widely used commercially [1][2][3]. The present review focuses on the fruits of Sambucus nigra L. (elderberries) and their small-molecule secondary metabolite constituents, with the potential development of therapeutic agents from these natural products being discussed.…”

“…Elderberries contain relatively high levels of numerous phenolic compounds, including the major small phenolic acid components, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, quinic acid, and chlorogenic acid; the anthocyanin, cyanidin-3-O-β-D-glucoside; other flavonoids, such as quercetin, quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside, and rutin, and tannins (Figure 1) [3,[13][14][15]. The content of these major bioactive components is relatively high.…”

“…Recently, several review articles on elderberries have been published, which have focused on the antiviral activity of elderberries [18], including effects on respiratory viral infections [19,20], specifically against influenza [21,22] and COVID-19 [23,24]; on the use of elderberries in the food industry [25]; on the chemical components and pharmacological activities of the berries [4,13,14], fruits, and flowers [26][27][28][29], as well as the whole plant of this species [2,3,15,16], and on the constituents and the female reproduction-focused bioactivity of the whole elderberry plant [30]. To complement these previous reviews, the present contribution highlights the development of potential therapeutic agents from elderberries and their small-molecule constituents.…”