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Gültekin Subaşı, B. Berry Bioactives and Their Health-Promoting Roles. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/18292 (accessed on 06 December 2025).
Gültekin Subaşı B. Berry Bioactives and Their Health-Promoting Roles. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/18292. Accessed December 06, 2025.
Gültekin Subaşı, Büşra. "Berry Bioactives and Their Health-Promoting Roles" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/18292 (accessed December 06, 2025).
Gültekin Subaşı, B. (2022, January 15). Berry Bioactives and Their Health-Promoting Roles. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/18292
Gültekin Subaşı, Büşra. "Berry Bioactives and Their Health-Promoting Roles." Encyclopedia. Web. 15 January, 2022.
Berry Bioactives and Their Health-Promoting Roles
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This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/molecules27010108

Along with the increased knowledge about the positive health effects of food bioactives, the eating habits of many individuals have changed to obtain higher nutritional benefits from foods. Fruits are among the most preferred food materials in this regard. In particular, berry fruits are important sources in the diet in terms of their high nutritional content including vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds. Berry fruits have remedial effects on several diseases and these health-promoting impacts are associated with their phenolic compounds which may vary depending on the type and variety of the fruit coupled with other factors including climate, agricultural conditions, etc. Most of the berries have outstanding beneficial roles in many body systems of humans such as gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems. Furthermore, they are effective on some metabolic disorders and several types of cancer.

berry fruits phenolic compounds bioactive compounds healthy diet

1. Introduction

The number of diet-related diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, as well as cardiovascular, immune-related, and nervous system disorders are increasing day by day and are gradually becoming a global health problem [1]. However, the extent of knowledge regarding the health effects of food ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, and some bioactive compounds is also increasing concomitantly with the interest and awareness of consumers. Based on this consciousness, individuals reform their eating habits predominantly in accordance with balanced nutrition and wellbeing that could be obtained from foods [1]. Consequently, fruits have become an important component of diets with their high fiber, vitamin, mineral, and phenolic contents.
Berry fruits with their sweet taste, unique aroma, and high phenolic contents are important sources contributing to the improvement of diet quality. The most commonly consumed berry varieties are blueberries, strawberries, black and red raspberries, cranberries, black currants, lingonberries, chokeberries, elderberries, and blackberries [2]. Depending on the species, they usually have a color range between red to purple or black. In addition to being consumed fresh or dried, berries are also utilized as different forms of food products such as jams, jellies, and drinks. Environmental conditions during cultivation are critical factors that affect fruit components and therefore the final quality so that many of them have their unique regions under optimum cultivation conditions [2]. What all variants have in common is that they contain high levels of phenolic compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, stilbenes, and lignans [3].
There has been a significant rise in studies related to the health benefits of berries. Anti-diabetic, anti-obesity [4], anticarcinogenic [5][6], and anti-inflammatory [7] activities of berries have been reviewed broadly in many recent studies. In addition, the Berry Health Benefits Symposium has been held biennially since 2005 to discuss the health promoting effects of berries, including their potential impacts on cardiovascular systems and gut health [8].

2. Nutritional and Bioactive Values of Berries

It is quite widely believed that fruits are of great importance in the human diet, providing numerous health benefits. With the advancement and increase in research, scientists are able to further delve into the details and reasons for these advantages. Berries are noteworthy fruits in this sense, providing both improvement in health as well as their physical allure and palatability. Multiple types of berries exist in nature, both edible and inedible, in varying colors, shapes, and tastes. The composition of berries, and consequently their nutritional advantages, depends on a multitude of factors such as breed, soil type, climate, location, time of harvest, handling, and storage conditions [9]. With that said, in general, berries contain both micro and macronutrients, are high in dietary fiber and fructose, and contain important vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. The main vitamins present in berries are vitamins A, C, and E, and the B complex vitamins, contributing to their overall antioxidant capacity [10].
Berries are fairly rich in polyphenols, which are secondary metabolites of various fruits, vegetables, and cereals, and over 8000 types of phenolic compounds have been found. They are generally classified in the following categories in terms of their chemical structures: phenolic acids, flavonoids, lignans, anthocyanins, and stilbenes [11]. In general, the abovementioned phenolic compounds, along with the vitamins and minerals, make berries an important source of bioactive compounds (BAC), leading them to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, chelating, and pigmentation properties [10]. Due to these health benefits of the BAC held in berries, they are known to have positive effects on the gastrointestinal system, metabolism-related diseases, the cardiovascular system, the immune system, the nervous system and numerous types of cancers [12]. Table 1 shows commonly studied berries and their phenolic contents extracted from various studies. These values can differ in literature as the source and type of berry, assay method, as well as other affecting factors listed above, can have an impact on their phenolic values.
Table 1. Commonly studied berries, their phenolic compounds, and total phenolic contents.
Berry Type TPC Expression/Unit Commonly Found Phenolic
Compounds		 References
Blackberry 4016.43 ± 13.44 mg GAE/100 g DW Cyanidin, ellagic acid, quercetin [13][14][15][16][17]
Raspberry 735.03 mg GAE/100 g FW Ellagic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, cyanidin [13][17][18]
Blueberry 170.9–523.8 mg GAE/100 g FW Chlorogenic acid, quercetin, myricetin, cyanidin [18][19][20][21]
Chokeberry 1964–2782 mg mg GAE/100 g DW Quercetin, chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids [22][23][24][25]
Korean black raspberry 291.135 mg GAE/100 g FW kaempferol, quercetin, ellagic acid [22][26]
White grape 455–3113 mg GAE/100 g DW Catechin, quercetin, kaempferol [27][28][29]
Jostaberry 1593.92 mg GAE/100 g FW Ellagic acid, quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol [13][18]
Redcurrant 8.45 mg GAE/100 g FW Quercetin, cyanidin, myricetin, kaempferol [13][18][20]
Elderberry 3002 mg GAE/100 g DW Cyanidin,
Rutin, quercetin, gallic acid, gentisic acid		 [30][31]
Maqui berry 4974 ± 57 mg GAE/100 g DW Kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, delphinidin, cyanidin [32][33]
Owing to their favorable taste, berries are mostly consumed in their fresh form without the need for processing or altering the taste. This is an incredible advantage in the sense that the BAC they contain is at its peak level and is therefore of great benefit to consumers [9]. Berries have both different types and amounts of phenolic compounds, leading to divergence in colors and antioxidant capacities. There are numerous studies which look into the phenolic contents and antioxidant capacities of berries utilizing a variety of methods such as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzotiazolin-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays [34]. Total phenolic content results can be expressed in gallic acid (GAE) or quercetin (QE) equivalents, while their antioxidant capacities are usually expressed in Trolox (TE) or ascorbic acid equivalents (AAE). These variations of the units often make it quite challenging for comparisons of different studies despite all representing antioxidant capacity [35].
A comparative study of six berries, honeyberry, blueberry, mandarin melon berry, mulberry, chokeberry, and Korean black raspberry, was conducted to research their individual characteristics and how their nutritive values are affected by composition [22]. Antioxidant activity was evaluated with a combination of three tests consisting of ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP and the results showed that chokeberry exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, closely followed by Korean black raspberry, while the melon berry had the lowest antioxidant activity. The research showed a positive correlation between the amounts of flavonoids, phenolics, and anthocyanins present in the berries and their antioxidant activities. The total phenolic contents of chokeberry, Korean black raspberry, and melon berry were measured to be 194.61, 144.71, and 31.16 GEC µg/mL, respectively. These were parallel to their respective antioxidant activities where the values of chokeberry and Korean black raspberry were found to be 10 times higher than that of melon berry. Another detailed study focusing on berries covered their total anthocyanin, total flavonoid, and DPPH radical scavenging activity amongst other antioxidant capacity assays, using both spectrophotometric and colorimetric methods [36]. Raspberries, black currants, red currants, white currants, white gooseberries, red gooseberries, blackberry, goji, and three types of blueberries were evaluated. The highest total anthocyanin (mg cyanidin-3-glucoside eq./g) and flavonoid (mg rutin eq./g) contents were found in blackcurrants with the results being 7.59 mg/g and 24.78 mg/g, respectively. Blackcurrants were also seen to have the most promising antioxidant capacity while goji berries had the lowest among all. Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC; mmol Trolox eq./g), FRAP (mmol Fe2+/g), and radical DPPH of blackcurrant extract were 12.09 mmol/g, 10.29 mmol/g, and 0.20 mg/L, respectively. For goji berry extracts, these results were 2.79 mmol/g, 1.46 mmol/g, and 1.18 mg/L, respectively. The values of the remaining berries were spread out between these high and low points, further showing the divergences of berries in terms of their constituents.
A different study determined the types and measured the amounts of the phenolic compounds in fruits, particularly those available as commercial juices in the United Kingdom [27]. Amongst the various types of fruits assessed, cranberries and grapes were also studied. Their results showed that purple grape juice was the lead in terms of total phenolic content, while white grape juice was the lowest, with the measured results being 7.5 mmol GAE/L and 0.9 mmol GAE/L, respectively. The situation was observed for antioxidant activity as well, with cranberry juice also being noted for its high antioxidant activity. Okatan conducted a comparative study evaluating the total phenolic and anthocyanin contents along with the antioxidant activity of six different berries: redcurrant, blackcurrant, red raspberry, blackberry, gooseberry, and jostaberry [13]. Blackberry was found to have the highest antioxidant and anthocyanin levels, with values of 426.26 mg TE/100 g FW and 226.33 mg/100 g FW, respectively. Jostaberry had the highest value of total phenolic contents as 1593.92 mg GAE/100 g FW. Redcurrant generally had the lowest values out of all six berries with its total phenolics, antioxidant, and anthocyanin values being 8.45 mg GAE/100 g FW, 24.41 mg/100 g FW, and 8.70 mg/100 g FW, respectively.
Briefly, it could be deduced that berries are quite beneficial to human health in terms of their abundant amount of total phenolic acids, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and thus high antioxidant capacities. Studies generally showed that polyphenols in particular were highly linked with a remarkable level of antioxidant capacity which demonstrates the ability to inhibit reactive oxygen species (ROS). Due to this reason, berry polyphenols have reputable potential to demote adverse health effects of ROS-induced diseases and disorders [37][38]. It should be noted that different amounts and types of phenolic compounds were determined in varying studies outlined above, even for the same berry fruit, emphasizing their critical dependency on external, agricultural, and cultivation factors.

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