Comparison of polyphenol, anthocyanin and antioxidant capacity in four varieties of Lonicera caerulea berry extracts

• Anthocyanin composition and proportion in investigated berry were variety-dependent.
• Two anthocyanins were found in Lonicera caerulea berry extracts for the first time.
• Sixteen individual anthocyanins were identified in the investigated varieties.
• Cyanidin-3-glucoside was the most prominent anthocyanin in investigated varieties.
• The highest antioxidant activity was found in Wild-type berry extracts.

Four varieties of Lonicera caerulea berries—‘Wild’, ‘Beilei’, ‘No. 1’, and ‘No. 2’—were compared with respect to extraction yield, fruit weight, total soluble solids, polyphenol and anthocyanin contents, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and anthocyanin composition. Sixteen individual anthocyanins were identified in the selected varieties. Acylated anthocyanins, cyanidin 3-acetylhexoside and peonidin 3-acetylhexoside, were identified in L. caerulea berries for the first time. Cyanidin-3-glucoside was the most prominent anthocyanin in all four tested varieties. Wild type of L. caerulea fruit (‘Wild’), with the highest polyphenol content, contained 14 anthocyanins and the highest ORAC value. Eleven anthocyanins were found in ‘Beilei’ berries, which had a higher ORAC value than ‘No. 1’ and ‘No. 2’. The highest total soluble solid content and extraction yield were found in ‘No. 2’ and ‘Wild’ berries, respectively.