Chemical composition and biopotential of mother juices of elderberry and mulberry enriched with guarana extract

Abstract

Wild-growing berry fruits have been used in traditional medicine and nutrition, but even today they are increasingly used as a source of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive ingredients. Increased consumer awareness of healthy lifestyles has led to the expansion of the functional food market, focusing on berry products. Therefore, consumers' interest in nutritious foods and beverages, including wild-growing berry fruits become greater. In order to respond to the enhanced demands of consumers, berries are increasingly used for the creation and formulation of potentially new functional products. In this work, the plant species Sambucus nigra L. and Morus nigra L. were used to obtaining cold-pressing juices which are enriched with dry extract of guarana seeds. Nutritional values, mineral composition, as well as biological and pharmacological potential were examined. The results of the analysis showed that the dominant mineral was K (for elderberry 4398.80 mg/L and for mulberry 3582.11 mg/L). The analysed juices were characterized as a rich source of total phenolic compounds (for elderberry 261.51 mg GAE/L, for mulberry 129.36 mg GAE/L). - By examining the bio-pharmacological potential, it was determined that the juices of these wild plant species were a very strong reducing agents, especially towards the Cu2+ ion, while in reducing excessive enzyme activity, the best result was achieved in the inhibition of the enzyme tyrosinase (for elderberry 98.39 mg KAE/L, for mulberry 78.99 mg KAE/L).