Chemical Composition of 21 Cultivars of Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus) Fruit Cultivated in Poland.

Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) is a very important fruit crop for producers as well as consumers. To obtain information on sour cherry fruit, we determined the sugar and organic acid composition and phenolic compound contents of twenty-one cultivars and genotypes of Prunus cerasus L. by HPLC quantification. Antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH radical scavenging, reducing power (FRAP) and determination of substances reacting with Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (FCRS). The main organic acids in sour cherries were malic and malonic acids, and the main sugars were glucose and fructose. The highest sugar content was found in the "Lucyna" cultivar and the highest organic acids in "Paraszt Meggy" and "Suda Hardy". The richest in phenolic compounds were "Wielun 17", "Sokówka Nowotomyska", "Grosenkirch" "Sokówka Nowotomyska" "Grosenkirch" (anthocyanins, flavanols and total phenolics), and "Meteor" (phenolic acids). Flavan 3-ols were not quantified in every cultivar. "Dradem, "Turgieniewka", "Wróble", and "Nana" contained the smallest amounts of phenolic compounds. Antioxidant capacity was highly correlated with phenolic compound composition. According to principal component analysis (PCA), it was concluded that cultivars whose harvest maturity was medium to late contained more flavonols and anthocyanins and were characterized by higher antioxidant capacity than those whose harvest maturity was classified as early or early to medium.

Health Properties and Composition of Honeysuckle Berry Lonicera caerulea L. An Update on Recent Studies.

Lonicera caerulea L., also known as haskap or honeysuckle berry, is a fruit commonly planted in eastern Europe, Canada and Asia. The fruit was registered as a traditional food from a third country under European Union regulations only on December 2018. It is resistant to cold, pests, various soil acidities and diseases. However, its attractiveness is associated mostly with its health properties. The fruit shows anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activity-important factors in improving health. These features result from the diverse content of phytochemicals in honeysuckle berries with high concentrations of phytocompounds, mainly hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids, flavanols, flavones, isoflavones, flavonols, flavanones and anthocyanins but also iridoids, present in the fruit in exceptional amounts. The content and health properties of the fruit were identified to be dependent on cultivar, genotype and the place of harvesting. Great potential benefits of this nutritious food are its ability to minimize the negative effects of UV radiation, diabetes mellitus and neurodegenerative diseases, and to exert hepato- and cardioprotective activity.