Physicochemical Characterization, Antioxidant Activity, and Phenolic Compounds of Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) Fruits Species for Potential Use in Food Applications

Abstract

Hawthorn belongs to the Crataegus genus of the Rosaceae family and is an important medicinal plant. Due to its beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system and its antioxidant and antimicrobial activity hawthorn has recently become quite a popular herbal medicine in phytotherapy and food applications. In this study, physicochemical characterization (color parameters, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, soluble carbohydrate, total carotenoid, total phenols, and flavonoid contents), antioxidant activity (by ferric-reducing antioxidant power, FRAP assay), and quantification of some individual phenolic compounds of fruits of 15 samples of different hawthorn species (Crataegus spp.) collected from different regions of Iran were investigated. According to findings, the total phenols, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity were in the range of 21.19–69.12 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry weight (dw), 2.44–6.08 mg quercetin equivalent (QUE)/g dw and 0.32–1.84 mmol Fe++/g dw, respectively. Hyperoside (0.87–2.94 mg/g dw), chlorogenic acid (0.06–1.16 mg/g dw), and isoquercetin (0.24–1.59 mg/g dw) were found to be the most abundant phenolic compounds in the extracts of hawthorn fruits. The considerable variations in the antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds of hawthorn species were demonstrated by our results. Hence, the evaluation of hawthorn genetic resources could supply precious data for screening genotypes with high bioactive contents for producing natural antioxidants and other phytochemical compounds valuable for food and pharma industries.

Improving the Quality Characteristics and Shelf Life of Meat and Growth Performance in Goose Fed Diets Supplemented with Vitamin E

“…The TVB-N values in all goose meat samples studied increased continuously during storage, but the rate of this increase was significantly higher in control samples than those values in goose meat from the vitamin E treatment ( Figure 1 b). The high antioxidant capacity of vitamin E along with a possible antimicrobial effect that leads to lower microbial populations in meat samples could explain the lower TVB-N values in samples with vitamin E. Phenolic compounds, with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, are known as important functional ingredients [ 63 , 64 , 65 ]. The changes in the phenolic compounds of goose meat are depicted in Figure 1 d. During storage, the phenolic compounds in the control samples declined continuously.…”

Efficacy of stinging nettle extract in combination with ε‐polylysine on the quality, safety, and shelf life of rainbow trout fillets

“…Plants extracts contain high levels of phenolic compounds which possess high antimicrobial and antioxidant activities (Rusak et al., 2008), while also they can lead to healthier and higher levels of techno‐functional properties in meat and meat products (Alirezalu, Ahmadi, et al., 2020). During storage, the TPC of all trout meats was significantly ( p < .05) declined.…”

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.): An Updated Overview on Its Beneficial Properties

“…The presence of rutin and quercetin obtained from C. oxyacantha extracts using HPLC was also reported [29]. The work of Nabavi et al focused on the polyphenolic composition of C. monogyna Jacq., ranging from its chemistry and composition to its medical applications [30]. The recent work of Cao et al [31] gives an updated snapshot of the water-based extraction of the bioactive principles of hawthorn, describing the current experimental laboratory research and further valuable information.…”