Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidative Activity of Extracts of Berries Cultivated in NorthWestern Italy

Berry fruits popularity has rapidly increased in Western countries due to their composition and health effects. The aim of this study was to compare the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of methanolic extracts of cultivated berry fruits harvested during the 2016 summer season in the Piedmont Region (NW Italy). Samples of raspberries (Rubusidaeus), black currants (Ribesnigrum), red currants (Ribes rubrum), white currants (Ribes pallidum), white and red gooseberries (Ribesgrossularia L.), blackberry (Rubusfruticosus), goji (Lyciumbarbarum L.), and three Cvs. (Duke, Blue Ray and Misty) of blueberries (Vacciniumcorymbosum) were extracted using 80:20 (v/v) methanol:water with formic acid (1%) at a solids to solvent ratio of 1:5 (w/v) and evaluated for total phenolic contents (TPC) [1]and their radical scavenging activities against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPHo) radical[2].All the extracts were characterized by HPLC-DAD-ESI-HRMSin positive and negative ion mode.On the basis of the information obtained from the UV-VIS spectrum and of the accurate mass of precursor ionsand tandem MS experiments, the main polyphenols were identified and quantified. The berry extracts were classifiedby the content of anthocyans and other flavonoid classes. Results showed that the highest and lowest TPC values were recorded in blackcurrants and goji samples, respectively. Maximum and minimum DPPH radical scavenging activities confirmed the same trend recorded for TPC values.