Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity in the Fruit of Rosehip (Rosa canina L. and Rosa rubiginosa L.)

Abstract

Rosehips (Rosa spp., Rosaceae) are wild rose bushes with more than 100 species. Its fruits vary in colour and size, depending on the species, and are recognised for their nutritional characteristics. Ten samples of Rosa canina L. and Rosa rubiginosa L. fruits were collected at different geographical points from Southern Chile. Nutrients such as crude protein and minerals and functional properties such as phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, and also antioxidant activities were evaluated by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS. The results revealed a high content of bioactive compounds, primarily ascorbic acid (6.0 to 8.2 mg g^-1 fresh weight (FW)), flavonols (427.9 ± 0.4 μg g^-1 FW) and antioxidant activity. We established a relationship between the antioxidant activity using Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and 2,2-diphenyl radical (DPPH) methods and the concentration of uncoloured compounds, such as flavonols and catechin. This antioxidant activity was primarily associated with the samples from Gorbea, Lonquimay, Loncoche, and Villarrica localities, and all of them were of the species Rosa rubiginosa L. The results here obtained represent novel information of rosehip fruits. In this sense, the reported information about compounds and antioxidant activities in rosehip fruits allowed us to continue new lines of research in relation to the potential formulation of new functional foods and also in the treatment and/or prevention of some diseases.

Keywords: anthocyanin; antioxidant activity; phenolic compounds; rosehip.

Figure 1

Contents in fruits of Rosa spp.: (a) organic acids; (b) ascorbic acid; (c) total phenolic; (d) flavonoid; (e) catechin; (f) anthocyanin; (g) phenolic acid content. Concentrations were expressed as fresh weight (FW). Different letters in each sub-figure indicate the presence of statistically significant differences according to the Tukey’s multiple range test (p ≤ 0.05; n = 9).

Figure 2

Antioxidant activity by spectrophotometric methods: (a) 2,2-diphenyl radical method (DPPH); (b) Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC); (c) cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC); (d) Oxygen Radical Antioxidant Capacity (ORAC). Concentrations were expressed as fresh weight (FW). Different letters in each sub-figure indicate the presence of statistically significant differences according to the Tukey’s multiple range test (p ≤ 0.05; n = 9).

Figure 3

Principal component analysis (PCA) results: (a) the score plot generated by the two principal components indicating the difference between species; (b) the loading plot showing the variables that contribute to each one of the two principal components. The nomenclature of the varibles are as follows: (1) total phenolic content; (2) TEAC; (3) DPPH; (4) CUPRAC; (5) hydroxycinnamic acid 1; (6) flavonol 1; (7) flavonol 2; (8) flavonol 3; (9) flavonol 4; (10) flavonol 6; (11) flavonol 7; (12) anthocyanin 1; (13) total flavonoid content; (14) catechin; (15) total anthocyanins; (16) total protein content; (17) nitrogen content; (18) intensity of colour; (19) tone; (20) %yellow; (21)%red; (22)%blue; (23) a parameter; (24) b parameter; (25) L parameter; (26) C parameter; (27) h parameter; (28) potassium content; (29) calcium content; (30) magnesium content; (31) phosphorus content; (32) ORAC; (33) organic acid 1; (34) organic acid 2; (35) organic acid 3; (36) ascorbic acid content; (37) total organic acids.