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High-performance liquid chromatography for the analytical characterization of anthocyanins in Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberry) fruit and food products

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Abstract

Anthocyanins represent the most abundant class of bioactive compounds present in Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberry) fruit, conferring it several health-promoting properties. The content of anthocyanins in food products produced from bilberries can be affected by many parameters, making the study of their composition a critical issue. In this ambit, this work was aimed at a comprehensive profiling of anthocyanins in bilberry fruit and derivatives from the Italian Northern Apennines, including jam, juice, and liqueur (“Mirtillino”). Anthocyanins were extracted from the jams by means of a dynamic maceration with acidified methanol, while juice and liqueurs were directly analyzed. The analysis of anthocyanins in the extracts was carried out by means of HPLC-UV/DAD, HPLC-ESI-MS, and MS2, under gradient elution. As a comparison, authentic bilberry fruits were analyzed. The total anthocyanin content was in the range 582.4–795.2 mg/100 g (FW) for the fruit, 2.3–234.5 mg/100 g for the jams, 109.2–2252.2 mg/L for the juice, and 27.9–759.3 mg/L for the liqueurs. To deeper investigate the anthocyanin profile of the liqueurs that exhibited a remarkably different composition in comparison with the other products, an authentic bilberry liqueur was prepared in the lab, following a traditional recipe, and monitored weakly by HPLC. The percentage of degradation of 3-O-galactosides and 3-O-arabinosides of bilberry anthocyanidins was found to be higher than that of 3-O-glucosides. The results of this work demonstrated the importance of a suitable and reliable analysis of bilberry fruit and related food products to ensure their genuineness and quality.

Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberry) fruit and food products analyzed in this work.

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Funding

This work was carried out thanks to a research grant (Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca 2015, FAR2015) awarded to Dr. Federica Pellati from the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia for the project entitled “Innovative methods for the extraction and chromatographic analysis of bioactive polyphenols in berry fruits.”

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  1. Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi 103, 41125, Modena, Italy

    Stefania Benvenuti, Virginia Brighenti & Federica Pellati

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  1. Stefania Benvenuti
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  2. Virginia Brighenti
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  3. Federica Pellati
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Correspondence to Federica Pellati.

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Published in the topical collection Discovery of Bioactive Compounds with guest editors Aldo Laganà, Anna Laura Capriotti and Chiara Cavaliere.

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Benvenuti, S., Brighenti, V. & Pellati, F. High-performance liquid chromatography for the analytical characterization of anthocyanins in Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberry) fruit and food products. Anal Bioanal Chem 410, 3559–3571 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-018-0915-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-018-0915-z

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