Biodiversity in nutrients and biological activities of 14 highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) cultivars

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify nutrients (UPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS, HPLC-RI method) and biological activities (antioxidant activity to reduce Fe³⁺ and ABTS^·+, pancreatic lipase inhibitory effect, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase, anti-bacterial) of 14 highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) cultivars (Northern type) as well as a principal component analysis (PCA) to assess the variation of these properties in the context of biodiversity. Most of the cultivars in this research have been first presented in this paper. Phytochemical profiling of the tested highbush blueberry fruit revealed 75 bioactive compounds, including 5 macroelements, 7 microelements, 7 monophosphate nucleotides, 15 anthocyanins, 1 phenolic acid, 14 flavonols, 11 essential amino acids, 8 non-essential amino acids, 2 sugars, 7 organic acids. The PCA showed that the profile and contents of the analyzed compounds as well as their anti-bacterial, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-obesity potentials depended significantly on the tested cultivars. Thus, the study provides comprehensive data on cultivar-specific biodiversity and correlations that can be used to design novel extracts rich in polyphenolic, amino acids, and/or minerals extracts from the selected cultivars of highbush blueberry as natural and alternative sources to fulfill the growing industry demand for supplements, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceutical products.