Evaluation of Bioactive Compounds of White mahaleb Juice

مجله پژوهشهای علوم و صنایع غذایی ایران

Article 5, Volume 14, Issue 1 - Serial Number 49, March and April 2018, Pages 81-92   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/ifstrj.v1396i0.56800

Authors

Firooze Bazrafkan^* ; Soheila Zarringhalami; Ali Ganjloo

Department of Food Science and Technology, Zanjan University, Zanjan, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: In recent years special attention has been paid to the use of natural sources contain healthy bioactive compounds. Fruit and vegetable juices are a good source of many biologically active compounds, particularly vitamins, minerals and phenols. Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites widely found in fruits, mostly represented by flavonoids and phenolic acids. Phenols are known for their antioxidant, anticancer and cardio-protective properties among bioactive compounds. The health benefits of these phytochemicals are directly linked to a regular intake and their bioavailability. Berries with dark blue or red colors have the highest bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacities among all common fruits and vegetables. Anthocyanins which are one of the largest and most important group of water-soluble pigments in most species in the plant kingdom are largely responsible for diverse pigmentation from orange to red, purple and blue fruits, such as: blackberry, red and black raspberries, blueberries, bilberries. White mahlab (Prunus mahaleb L.) fruits with a dark red color, which known also as English cherry, Rock cherry, St. Lucie cherry, of the Rosaceae family, subfamily Prunoidae, is a deciduous tree with 1–2 m high. Mahaleb cherry tree which grows abundantly in West Asia such as in Iran used just as basic link for cherry trees because of bitter taste of their fruits. In order to reduce the bitterness and improve the taste of mahaleb juice, a debittering process is considered as an effective solution to overcome the commercial application problem. Several debittering techniques have been used to reduce the content of bitter compounds, such as biodegradation by enzymes, addition of bitterness suppressing agents, ultrafiltration.

Material and Methods: All chemicals used were analytical grade and purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany) and Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO. USA).
Selected microorganisms including Staphylococcus aureus (PTCC: 1112), Escherichia coli (PTCC: 1338), Aspergillus flavus (PTCC: 5004) and Penicillium chrysogenum (PTCC: 5037) were obtained from the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST), Iran.
The ripened fruits of mahaleb were collected from the orchard of Zanjan University, and transported to the laboratory. Harvest involved a random sampling from 5 trees. Stem and leaves were then discarded, and fruits stored at -18 ℃ until further use.
Frozen fruits were removed from the freezer, thawed and pitted. The fruit juice was obtained using a domestic juicer (Moulinex PC302, France). The juice was filtered through a stainless steel sieve (1 mm) to separate pomace from juice. The juice obtained was placed in dark glass bottles until further analysis.
Vitamin C content was determined using spectrophotometric method. Total phenolic content of the fruit juice was determined using Folin–Ciocalteu’s assay. Total flavonoid and anthocyanin contents of the fruit juice were determined according to the colorimetric assay at 510 and 526 nm, respectively. Antioxidant activity was determined using Diphenyl Picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and reducing power of H2O2 methods.
Antimicrobial activity of mahaleb juice against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium chrysogenum was evaluated using agar well diffusion, and minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration was determined using broth microdilution and surface methods.

Results and Discussion: According to the result obtained, vitamin C, total phenolic, total flavonoid, total anthocyanin content was 39.26±0.01 mg/100 mL, 303.00±0.06 mg GAE/100 mL, 17.00±0.01 mg Rutin/mL and 871.63±0.93 mg Cyanidin/100 mL, respectively. Free radical scavenging activity and reducing power of H2O2 was 72.30% and 6.33%, respectively. Based on these results the white mahaleb juice had bioactive compounds such as other fruits with blue and purple color. According to other researchers there was a higher positive correlation between the amounts of carotenoids, total phenolics and anthocyanins and the antioxidant activity. Of course, it should be noted that several factors such as the plant growth region and the harvest period might have an impact on plant growth and metabolite concentration. Some studies also showed that dark red sour cherries contain higher total phenolic and total anthocyanin content compared to sour cherries with lighter red color. Therefore, mahaleb juice which was used in the current research with dark blue color and high total phenolic and anthocyanin content have high antioxidant activity.
The results also revealed that mahaleb juice had no inhibitory effect on Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium chrysogenum whereas the minimum inhibitory concentration on 102 CFU/ml of E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus was obtained at 0.9 and 0.8 % concertation of mahaleb juice. In addition, no minimum bactericidal concentration was observed. So, mahaleb juice likely has no or little antifungal activity compared to antibacterial effects. Previous studies also showed that antimicrobial activity of many extracts related to their phenolic compounds and anthocyanins. Blueberry methanol extract was shown strongly inhibit the pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli O157:H7. The antimicrobial properties of blueberry morelikely is due to the compounds of monomeric phenolics, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins. Therefore, mahaleb juice as a source of natural bioactive compounds such as vitamin C, phenols, carotenoids and anthocyanins is recommended as functional food in industry, especially, after debittering.

Keywords

White mahaleb juice; bioactive compounds; Antioxidant activity; Antimicrobial activity

References

قارونی، ت.، زمانی، ذ.، بوذری، ن. 1391. تنوع ژنتیکی ژنوتیپ های محلب (Prunus mahaleb L.) بر اساس صفات مورفولوژیکی و نشانگرهای RAPD، مجله به نژادی نهال و بذر، 1-28: 739-717.

Babbar, N., Oberoi, H. S., Uppal, D. S., & Patil, R. T. (2011). Total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of extracts obtained from six important fruit residues. Food Research International, 44(1), 391-396.

Balasundram, N., Sundram, K., & Samman, S. (2006). Phenolic compounds in plants and agri-industrial by-products: Antioxidant activity, occurrence, and potential uses. Food chemistry, 99(1), 191-203.

Chen, L., Xin, X., Zhang, H., & Yuan, Q. (2013). Phytochemical properties and antioxidant capacities of commercial raspberry varieties. Journal of Functional Foods, 5(1), 508-515.

Chitsaz, M. (2006). In vitro Evaluation of Antibacterial Effect of Stachys schtschegleevii. Daneshvar Medical Journal, 14, 1-8.

D’Abrosca, B., Pacifico, S., Cefarelli, G., Mastellone, C., & Fiorentino, A. (2007). ‘Limoncella’apple, an Italian apple cultivar: Phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity. Food Chemistry, 104(4), 1333-1337.

Dai, J., & Mumper, R. J. (2010). Plant phenolics: extraction, analysis and their antioxidant and anticancer properties. Molecules, 15(10), 7313-7352.

Damar, İ., & Ekşi, A. (2012). Antioxidant capacity and anthocyanin profile of sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) juice. Food chemistry, 135(4), 2910-2914.

de Souza, V. R., Pereira, P. A. P., da Silva, T. L. T., de Oliveira Lima, L. C., Pio, R., & Queiroz, F. (2014). Determination of the bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and chemical composition of Brazilian blackberry, red raspberry, strawberry, blueberry and sweet cherry fruits. Food chemistry, 156, 362-368.

Dehghan, G., Zarrini, G., & Hajizadeh, M. (2013). Phytochemical investigation and antimicrobial, antifungal and synergistic activities of chloroform fractions of the root of Ferula szovitsiana. Journal of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, 15(6), 10-17.

Demirdöven, A., Karabıyıklı, Ş., Tokatlı, K., & Öncül, N. (2015). Inhibitory effects of red cabbage and sour cherry pomace anthocyanin extracts on food borne pathogens and their antioxidant properties. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 63(1), 8-13.

Doshi, P. J., & Adsule, P. G. (2006, February). Effect of storage on physicochemical parameters, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in grapes. In International Symposium on Grape Production and Processing 785 (pp. 447-456).

Fang, F., Li, J. M., Zhang, P., Tang, K., Wang, W., Pan, Q. H., & Huang, W. D. (2008). Effects of grape variety, harvest date, fermentation vessel and wine ageing on flavonoid concentration in red wines. Food Research International, 41(1), 53-60.

Floegel, A., Kim, D. O., Chung, S. J., Koo, S. I., & Chun, O. K. (2011). Comparison of ABTS/DPPH assays to measure antioxidant capacity in popular antioxidant-rich US foods. Journal of food composition and analysis, 24(7), 1043-1048.

Ieri, F., Pinelli, P., & Romani, A. (2012). Simultaneous determination of anthocyanins, coumarins and phenolic acids in fruits, kernels and liqueur of Prunus mahaleb L. Food chemistry, 135(4), 2157-2162.

Khoo, G. M., Clausen, M. R., Pedersen, B. H., & Larsen, E. (2011). Bioactivity and total phenolic content of 34 sour cherry cultivars. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 24(6), 772-776.

Kołodziejczyk, K., Sojka, M., Abadias, M., Viñas, I., Guyot, S., & Baron, A. (2013). Polyphenol composition, antioxidant capacity, and antimicrobial activity of the extracts obtained from industrial sour cherry pomace.Industrial Crops and Products, 51, 279-288.

Lacombe, A., Wu, V. C., White, J., Tadepalli, S., & Andre, E. E. (2012). The antimicrobial properties of the lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) fractional components against foodborne pathogens and the conservation of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Food microbiology, 30(1), 124-131.

Laroze, L. E., Diaz-Reinoso, B., Moure, A., Zúñiga, M. E., & Dominguez, H. (2010). Extraction of antioxidants from several berries pressing wastes using conventional and supercritical solvents. European Food Research and Technology, 231(5), 669-677.

Mariod, A. A., Ibrahim, R. M., Ismail, M., & Ismail, N. (2010). Antioxidant activities of phenolic rich fractions (PRFs) obtained from black mahlab (Monechma ciliatum) and white mahlab (Prunus mahaleb) seedcakes. Food Chemistry, 118(1), 120-127.

Metrouh-Amir, H., Duarte, C., & Maiza, F. (2015). Solvent effect on total phenolic contents, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities of Matricaria pubescens. Industrial Crops and Products, 67, 249–256.

Moreno-Montoro, M., Olalla-Herrera, M., Gimenez-Martinez, R., Navarro-Alarcon, M., & Rufian-

Negi, P. S., Jayaprakasha, G. K., & Jena, B. S. (2003). Antioxidant and antimutagenic activities of pomegranate peel extracts. Food chemistry, 80(3), 393-397.

Pantelidis, G. E., Vasilakakis, M., Manganaris, G. A., & Diamantidis, G. (2007). Antioxidant capacity, phenol, anthocyanin and ascorbic acid contents in raspberries, blackberries, red currants, gooseberries and Cornelian cherries. Food Chemistry, 102(3), 777-783.

Pertuzatti, P. B., Barcia, M. T., Rodrigues, D., da Cruz, P. N., Hermosin-Gutierrez, I., Smith, R., & Godoy, H. T. (2014). Antioxidant activity of hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts of Brazilian blueberries. Food chemistry, 164, 81-88.

Perumalla, A. V. S., & Hettiarachchy, N. S. (2011). Green tea and grape seed extracts—Potential applications in food safety and quality. Food Research International, 44(4), 827-839.

Ramful, D., Tarnus, E., Aruoma, O. I., Bourdon, E., & Bahorun, T. (2011). Polyphenol composition, vitamin C content and antioxidant capacity of Mauritian citrus fruit pulps. Food Research International, 44(7), 2088-2099.

Reque, P. M., Steffens, R. S., Jablonski, A., Flôres, S. H., Rios, A. D. O., & de Jong, E. V. (2014). Cold storage of blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) fruits and juice: Anthocyanin stability and antioxidant activity. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 33(1), 111-116.

Ruch, R. J., Cheng, SJ., & Klainig JE. (1989). Prevention of cytotoxicity and inhibition of intracellular communication by antioxidant catechins isolated from Chinese green tea. Carcinogen 10, 1003-1008.

Samec, D., & Piljac-Zegarac, J. (2011). Postharvest stability of antioxidant compounds in hawthorn and cornelian cherries at room and refrigerator temperatures Comparison with blackberries, white and red grapes. Scientia horticulturae, 131, 15-21.

Sandri, I. G., Zacaria, J., Fracaro, F., Delamare, A. P. L., & Echeverrigaray, S. (2007). Antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Brazilian species of the genus Cunila against foodborne pathogens and spoiling bacteria. Food chemistry, 103(3), 823-828.

Serradilla, M. J., Martin, A., Ruiz-Moyano, S., Hernandez, A., Lopez-Corrales, M., & de Guia Cordoba, M. (2012). Physicochemical and sensorial characterisation of four sweet cherry cultivars grown in Jerte Valley (Spain).Food Chemistry, 133(4), 1551-1559.

Sharma, S., Kori, S., & Parmar, A. (2015). Surfactant mediated extraction of total phenolic contents (TPC) and antioxidants from fruits juices. Food chemistry, 185, 284-288.

Sokol-Letowska, A., Kucharska, A. Z., Wińska, K., Szumny, A., Nawirska-Olszańska, A., Mizgier, P., & Wyspiańska, D. (2014). Composition and antioxidant activity of red fruit liqueurs. Food chemistry, 157, 533-539.

Soltani, M., Ghodratnama, M., Taheri Mirghaed, A., Zargar, A., & Rooholahi, Sh. (2013).The effect of Zataria multiflora Boiss and Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil on Streptococcus iniae isolated from Rainbow trout farms. Journal of Veterinary Microbiology, 9(1), 1-11.

Sun, J., Chu, Y. F., Wu, X., & Liu, R. H. (2002). Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of common fruits. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 50(25), 7449-7454.

Uggla, M., Goa, X., and Werlemark, G. 2003. Variation among and within dog rose taxa (Rosa sect. canina) in fruit weight, percentage of fruit flesh and dry matter, and vitamin C content. Acta Agriculturae Scandivinavica Section B. Soil and Plant Science, 53, 147-155.

Wang, S. Y., Chen, C. T., & Wang, C. Y. (2009). The influence of light and maturity on fruit quality and flavonoid content of red raspberries. Food Chemistry, 112(3), 676-684.

Weerakkody, N. S., Caffin, N., Turner, M. S., & Dykes, G. A. (2010). In vitro antimicrobial activity of less-utilized spice and herb extracts against selected food-borne bacteria. Food Control, 21(10), 1408-1414.

Wu, X., Beecher, G. R., Holden, J. M., Haytowitz, D. B., Gebhardt, S. E., & Prior, R. L. (2004). Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities of common foods in the United States. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 52(12), 4026-4037.

You, Q., Wang, B., Chen, F., Huang, Z., Wang, X., & Luo, P. G. (2011). Comparison of anthocyanins and phenolics in organically and conventionally grown blueberries in selected cultivars. Food Chemistry, 125(1), 201-208.