Global Journal of Human Social Science, H: Interdisciplinary, Volume 22 Issue 7

Cornelian Cherry ( Cornus Mas L. ) Berries: Methods of Bioactive Potential Preserving Suhodol Natalia α , Viorica Cazac σ , Eugenia Covaliov ρ , Olga Gutium Ѡ & Coralia Babcenco ¥ Abstract- It is known that cornelian cherry is among the best natural remedies for the human body. For those who do not have access the berries when they are harvested, they can turn to cornel ian cherry only as dried fr uit. The dried cornelian cherry can be found in th e stalls or in stores wit h organic products. In this sense, the aim of the current research is study how different methods of preserving cornelian cherry berries influence on their bioactive potential in terms of total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The paper presents the effect of drying and freezing on the bioactive potential of cornelian cherry berries. Keywords: cornelian cherry , drying, freezing, phenolic content, antioxidant activity. I. I ntroduction ornelian cherry ( Cornus mas L. ) belongs to the family Cornaceae . In Turkic languages, the word «kizil» (Russian name of berry) means «red». It can be found naturally in the central and south-eastern regions of Europe (Kazimierski et al., 2019) . Archaeological finds indicate that cornelian cherry was actively eaten, and literary monuments, in particular Homer's Odyssey, say that pigs were even fattened with this berries (Bosančić, 2009) . The berries are characterized by oval or oval-oblong shape, with colors ranging from light yellow to dark cherry (Szczepaniak et al., 2019) . The taste of the fruit is usually considered to be sweet and sour and in some cases pineapple sweet (Celik et al., 2006) . All cornelian cherry varieties have a high biological value, which is mainly related to their antioxidant activity, as well as their phenolic compound and ascorbic acid content (Hassanpour et al., 2011) . The main pro-health properties of cornelian cherry are related to the high amount of anthocyanins (Kucharska et al., 2015) . Cornelian cherry berries ripen in early autumn, and due to their properties, they are often used for therapeutic purposes. Cornelian cherries are consumed for their ant i-inflammatory, antibacterial, cicatrizing, diuretic, astringent and antiviral properties. Thus, the berries are recommended in the diabets nutrition - because they have a very low glycemic index and actually help lower blood sugar levels (Dzydzan et al., 2019) . According to Kaya et al. (2021) cornelian cherry berries have a hemostatic effect that helps not only to stop bleeding of any kind, but also to make it disappear (Kaya and Koca, 2021) . Thus, in order to benefit from the bioactive effects of cornelian cherry berries throughout the year, people freeze or dry them. In this context, the aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of drying and freezing on the bioactive potential of cornelian cherry in terms of ascorbic acid ant total phenols content and antioxidant activity. II. M aterials and M ethods a) Materials Cornelian cherry berries used in the research were purchased (harvest 2021) from the local market. All the reactive were purchased from Sigma Aldrich (Germany). b) Methods i. Cornelian cherry drying and freezing Cornelian berries were dried by convection at 60 ⁰ C and because in the Republic of Moldova, cornelian cherries grow mostly spontaneously, as a second method was selected natural sun drying. At the same time, the berries were subjected to freezing at -30 ⁰ C. In order to perform the other determinations the dried or frozen samples were milled to a powder status. ii. Moisture content determination The moisture content of dried and frozen cornelian cherries was determined according to the standardized AOAC Official Method 934.06 - Moisture in Dried Fruits. iii. Vitamin C content determination The amount of vitamin C was determined by iodometric titration according to Spinola et al. (Spínola et al., 2013). iv. Total Phenol Content Determination The total phenol content in cornelian cherry samples (dried and frozen) was determined by Folin Ciocalteu method according to Makkar et al. (2003) and expressed in mg GAE (Gallic acid)/g product (Makkar, 2003). v. Antioxidant activity determination For the evaluation of antioxidant activity, solutions of free radical 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) were prepared in methanol. The ethanolic extracts of cornelian cherry sample solutions at varying concentrations were added to the methanolic solution of C © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue VII Version I 53 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 H Corresponding Author α : Department of Food and Nutrition, Technical University of Moldova, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. e-mails: natalia.suhodol@toap.utm.md , viorica.cazac@dtp.utm.md , eugenia.boaghi@toap.utm.md, olga.gutium@toap.utm.md, coralia.babcenco@mail.ru