Phenolics profiling by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn aided by principal component analysis to classify Rabbiteye and Highbush blueberries

Paula Becker Pertuzatti; Milene Teixeira Barcia; Sérgio Gómez-Alonso; Helena Teixeira Godoy; Isidro Hermosin-Gutierrez

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127958

Phenolics profiling by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSⁿ aided by principal component analysis to classify Rabbiteye and Highbush blueberries

Food Chem. 2021 Mar 15:340:127958. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127958. Epub 2020 Sep 2.

Authors

Paula Becker Pertuzatti¹, Milene Teixeira Barcia², Sérgio Gómez-Alonso³, Helena Teixeira Godoy⁴, Isidro Hermosin-Gutierrez³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science, Food Engineering Faculty, State University of Campinas, Rua Monteiro Lobato 80, 13083-862 Campinas, Brazil; Department of Food Engineering, Institute of Exact and Earth Sciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Avenida Valdon Varjão 6.390, 78600-000 Barra do Garças, Brazil. Electronic address: paulapertuzatti@yahoo.com.br.
² Department of Food Science, Food Engineering Faculty, State University of Campinas, Rua Monteiro Lobato 80, 13083-862 Campinas, Brazil; Department of Food Science and Technology, Rural Sciences Centre, Federal University of Santa Maria, Rua Roraima s/n, 97105-900 Santa Maria, Brazil.
³ Regional Institute for Applied Scientific Research, Castilla-La Mancha University, Ronda de Calatrava 7, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain.
⁴ Department of Food Science, Food Engineering Faculty, State University of Campinas, Rua Monteiro Lobato 80, 13083-862 Campinas, Brazil.

PMID: 32916406
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127958

Abstract

Although blueberries are widely studied, little information exists on their composition and content of flavonol glycosides. Most studies identify only a few flavonols in blueberries due to separation and identification issues. In the present study, we identified 44 flavonols and chlorogenic acid in 30 samples of Highbush and Rabbiteye blueberry, using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSⁿ. Highbush group fruits presented mainly quercetin-3-galactoside in their composition, while Rabbiteye group fruits exhibited higher levels of quercetin-3-rhamnoside and quercetin-3-glucuronide. Among the identified flavonols, 8 acylates (acetyl and hydroxymethylglutaroyl) were found, of which quercetin-3-O-[4″-(3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaroyl)]-α-rhamnoside was found for the first time in blueberries. This compound is exclusive to the cultivars Florida and Powderblue, where it is present in high quantities. Glucuronides of syringetin and laricitrin, and rhamnosyl-galactosides of myricetin, quercetin and isorhamnetin were also found for the first time in blueberries. The Principal Component Analysis showed that blueberry groups can be distinguished based on their phenolic compound profile.

Keywords: Acylated flavonols; Chlorogenic acid; PCA; Vaccinium ashei Reade; Vaccinium corymbosum L..

MeSH terms

Blueberry Plants / chemistry*
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / methods*
Food Analysis / methods*
Fruit / chemistry
Phenols / analysis*
Principal Component Analysis*
Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / methods*

Substances

Phenols