Plant phenolics are considered to have a key role as defense compounds when environmental stresses, such as high light, low temperatures, pathogen infection, herbivores, and nutrient deficiency, can lead to an increased production of free radicals and other oxidative species in plants.
Bilberry juice are considered one of the richest sources of dietary anthocyanins and antioxidants. Many phenolic compounds have been identified in bilberries and differences in their phenolic profiles have been observed and linked to numerous factors. Anthocyanins represent the most important group in bilberries, contributing to their attractive purple-blue color hues but also defining quality traits.
These polyphenolic components have high-antioxidant content, and are believed to be the key compounds responsible for the many reported health benefits of consuming bilberry juice.
The anthocyanin composition of bilberries is characterized by 15 anthocyanin glycosides in which five antocyanidins (delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, peonidin, malvidin) are combined with three types of sugars (galactose, glucose, arabinose).
Phenolic compounds in bilberry juice
