Anthocyanin profiles in south Patagonian wild berries by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS

Chilean Patagonia is one of the most beautiful natural scenarios, with a great diversity of habitats and vascular plants, including different berry fruits. There is no scientific information about the polyphenol profiles of most of these fruits, as well as about their potential use as functional food.Samples of 10 different berry species were collected in the Magallanes region in the extreme South of Chile. Their anthocyanin profiles were studied using liquid chromatography with photodiode array and mass spectrometry detection on the basis of retention times, UV and MS/MS spectra. In addition, total anthocyanin concentrations obtained by HPLC-DAD, antioxidant capacity estimated by TEAC (as trolox equivalent), and ascorbic acid contents were determined in these fruits. The studied species differed in their berry anthocyanin profiles and concentrations. In the berries of Berberis genus (Berberis microphylla, Berberis empetrifolia and Berberis ilicifolia), a predominance of delphinidin, petunidin and malvidin 3-glucoside was observed; they are the fruits with the highest total anthocyanin concentration (22.91–35.99, 16.11–21.40 and 13.70μmol/g, respectively). In Ribes magellanicum and Ribes cucullatum, the 3-glucoside and 3-rutinoside derivates of cyanidins predominated, especially for R. cucullatum, showing intermediate total anthocyanin concentrations. The other studied berries (Gaultheria mucronata, Gaultheria antarctica, Rubus geoides, Myrteola nummularia and Fuchsia magellanica) presented as main anthocyanidin cyanidin and/or delphinidin derivates, with lower total concentrations in comparison with the other studied species. Antioxidant activity and especially the ascorbic acid concentration observed in these fruits were higher than those described for other widely consumed berries, reaching levels up to 75.1μmol/g and 198.8mg/100g, respectively. These findings suggest that some of the berry species from Patagonia have an interesting potential to be used as functional food.