Multidisciplinary study of the use of black currant fruits, juice and by products: Comprehensive chemical characterization and neuroprotective activity

Abstract

Natural wide-ranging phenolic compounds, which comprise a broad spectrum of pharmacological properties and potential health-promoting benefits arising from antioxidant activities, are put into the spotlight of the global scientific community. Due to their richness in myriad bioactive compounds and synergistic presence of unique and complex phytochemical composition, black currants have become an attractive target of special interest in the food industry gaining popularity in recent years. Black currants are particularly rich sources of biologically active compounds, among which anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, flavonols, phenolic acids, condensed tannins and vitamin C are pointed out. These components might contribute synergistically to the high level of antioxidant activity. The rich phenolic contents also contribute to the sensory properties, causing a bitter taste and more astringency. In this work, however, different in vitro assays are performed on several extracts obtained from black currants and their by-products using environmentally green extraction techniques, such as pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) to study their neuroprotective potential. As neuroprotection is related to different activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cholinergic activities, among others, the main aim of this contribution is to study the neuroprotective potential of bioactive extracts from different black currant samples. Moreover, to assess their particular chemical composition and to describe the natural compounds potentially responsible for the observed effects, a powerful analytical technique, such as comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC×LC) is applied.