Cranberry fruits are a source of bioactive components valuable for the body. They contain vitamins (A, C and E), minerals (potassium, sodium, selenium), as well as lutein and β-carotene. The most important group of health-promoting compounds contained in cranberry fruits are polyphenols, including flavonols, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, phenolic acids and resveratrol.
The presence of these phytochemicals appears to be responsible for the cranberry property of preventing many diseases and infections, including cardiovascular diseases, various cancers, and infections involving the urinary tract, dental health, and Helicobacter pylori induced stomach ulcers and cancers.
The predominant bioactive compounds found in cranberries are the flavonols, the flavan-3 -ols, the anthocyanins, the tannins (ellagitannins and proanthocyanidins), and the phenolic acid derivatives. These phytochemicals are commonly associated with the fruit organoleptic (sensory) qualities and have also shown diverse biological properties and physiological activities in animals.
Cranberries are rich in anthocyanins, in tannins (ellagitannins and proanthocyanidins), and have significant concentrations of the flavonoids—flavonols and flavan-3-ols.
Cranberry flavan-3-ols are present as monomers, oligomers, and polymers. These oligomers and polymers are also referred to as PACs (proanthocyanidins) or condensed tannins and represent w85% of the total flavan-3-ols on a weight basis.
Like other phytonutrients, flavonoids are powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits.
Anthocyanins are generally found in fruit and more specifically in red, purple, and blue berries. The anthocyanin content of a cranberry averages 95 mg/100 g for a ripe fruit at harvest, with reports of anthocyanin content as high as 124 mg/100 g of fresh fruit weight.
The major anthocyanins in cranberry are galactosides and arabinosides of cyanidin and peonidin. Fresh cranberries containing 60.42 mg/100 g combined cyanidin and peonidin anthocyanins and 354.9 mg/100 g proanthocyanidins.
In addition to these components, ascorbic acid could be a very potent antioxidant occurring in significant amounts in fresh berries. Ascorbic acid is an essential water-soluble vitamin with excellent reducing properties, well known by its high antioxidant activity due to the neutralization of free radicals.
Bioactive compound in cranberries
