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

DPPH and after 30 min spectrophotometric measurements at 517 nm were done in order to read the absorbance. The antioxidant activity was calculated according to the formula: = 0 − , where A 0 - the absorbance of the DPPH solution at the initial time; A s - the absorbance of the DPPH solution after 30 min of incubation. vi. Statistical Analysis The experiments were performed in triplicate. The results are given as mean ±standard deviation (SD). Student’s t-test was used for comparison between two means. III. R esults and D iscussions The results regarding the influence of the drying or freezing process on the content of moisture and biologically active substances in Cornelian cherry are presented in table 1. Table 1: The content of moisture, vitamin C, total phenols and antioxidant activity in fresh, frozen and dried cornelian cherry Moisture, % Vitamin C, mg/100g Total phenols content, mg GAE/g AA DPPH , % Fresh berries 74.63±1.43 69.00±0.65 10.49±0.75 62.93±0.56 Frozen berries 76.18±1.58 54.30±0.54 10.67±0.45 87.00±0.47 Sun dried berries 25.39±0.59 147.50±1.56 11.37±0.64 66.81±0.84 Dried berries at 60 °C 17.98±0.46 169.20±1.78 11.51±0.37 74.63±0.39 The moisture content plays a decisive role in maintaining the quality of the product over time, the higher it is, the more susceptible the product is to microbiological alteration (Rezaei and VanderGheynst, 2010). The data presented in the table indicate that sun drying as a traditional and finance free drying method reduces the moisture content of cornelian cherry by about 66.11 %, while convective drying at 60 °C ensures a reduction of 75.90 % of moisture. As for the content of vitamin C, it increases considerably in the dried cornelian cherry samples, which is correlated with the higher content of dry substance in these samples. Numerous authors have researched the content of vitamin C in cornelian cherry, the data being very different from 29 to about 300 mg/100 g (Szczepaniak et al., 2019). In his study, Brindza et al. (2006) mentions that the amount of vitamin C in different Slovakian cornelian cherry genotypes ranges within the limits of 16.45 – 38.58 mg/100g fresh product(Brindza et al., 2007). In our study, fresh cornelian cherry had a content of vitamin C of 69.00 mg/100 g. Taking in to account the high amount of vitamin C, many authors tried to use the cornelian cherry as a functional ingredient in foods formulations. Topda ș et al. (2017) enhanced the ice cream vitamin C content using cornelian cherry paste (Topdaş et al., 2017), while Celik et al. (2007) used it in yogurt formulations (Celik et al., 2006). The polyphenols are considered responsible for some of the health effects provided by a diet rich in fruit and vegetables. In our study the total phenols content was affected by drying process, the maximum content was obtained for the cornelian cherry dried by convection (11.51 mg GAE/g). However, considering the high amount of dry matter in this sample and the total phenols content in fresh berries (10.49 mg GAE/g) it can be concluded that during drying some of the phenolic compounds were subjected to oxidation processes. Several researches mention that the total phenos content in cornelian cherries ranges from 219.08 to 976.51mg/100 g of fresh weight (Szczepaniak et al., 2019). Many authors mention that both the vitamin C content and the polyphenol content are largely influenced on one hand by the geographical area of the culture and on the other, by the chosen research method, extraction yield, etc. Every day, the human body is subjected to an attack by free radicals, which are actually unstable, reactive molecules (Kryston et al., 2011). They interact with the molecules they come into contact with, generating other unstable molecules and thus triggering a cascading process that can profoundly affect the body. Free radicals can appear as a result of all existing forms of pollution (contaminating air, water, food) and unhealthy lifestyles (Aseervatham et al., 2013). To combat the effect of free radicals we need antioxidants, which can be taken from plant food sources (McCord, 1993). Based on these, the ability to inhibit the free radical DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) by cornelian cherry berries was observed. From the data presented in table 1, it is obvious that the frozen berries exhibit the highest antioxidant activity of 87% and the lowest, of 62.93% was obtained for fresh berries. IV. C onclusion Cornelian cherry has a high bioactive potential. The high content of these phenolic compounds and vitamin C provide significant antioxidant potential and Cornelian Cherry ( Cornus Mas L. ) Berries: Methods of Bioactive Potential Preserving Volume XXII Issue VII Version I 54 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 © 2022 Global Journals H