| Autor: |
Guevara-Terán M; Grupo de Bioquimioinformática, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador.; Grupo de Investigación en Polifenoles, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Universidad de Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain., Padilla-Arias K; Facultad de Postgrado, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador., Beltrán-Novoa A; Departamento de Química Analítica, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko, Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), 48940 Bilbao, Spain., González-Paramás AM; Grupo de Investigación en Polifenoles, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Universidad de Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain., Giampieri F; Research Group on Food, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, 39011 Santander, Spain.; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 2254, Saudi Arabia., Battino M; Research Group on Food, Nutritional Biochemistry and Health, Universidad Europea del Atlántico, 39011 Santander, Spain.; Department of Clinical Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy.; International Research Center for Food Nutrition and Safety, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China., Vásquez-Castillo W; Ingeniería Agroindustrial, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador., Fernandez-Soto P; Grupo de Bioquimioinformática, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador., Tejera E; Grupo de Bioquimioinformática, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito 170125, Ecuador., Alvarez-Suarez JM; Departamento de Ingeniería en Alimentos, Colegio de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador. |
| Abstrakt: |
The chemical composition and biological capacities of berries depend on environmental parameters, maturity, and location. The Andean blueberry ( Vaccinium floribundum Kunth), also known as mortiño, presents a unique combination of several phytochemicals, which play a synergistic role in its characterization as a functional food. We aimed to expose the possible variations that exist in the profile of the phenolic compounds as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity of the wild Andean blueberry with respect to three ripeness stages and two different altitudes. We found that polyphenols are the predominant compounds in the berry during the early ripeness stage and are the main bioactive compounds that give rise to the antioxidant capacity and inhibition effect on the growth of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, the accumulation of ascorbic acid, free amino acids, and anthocyanins increases as the ripening process progresses, and they were the main bioactive compounds in the ripe berry. The latter compounds influence the production of the typical bluish or reddish coloration of ripe blueberries. In addition, it was determined that environmental conditions at high altitudes could have a positive influence in all cases. Overall, our data provide evidence regarding the high functional value of the wild Andean blueberry. |
