Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) grown in the Pacific Northwest of North America: Anthocyanin and free amino acid composition

Lingonberries and their products are popular and generally accessible in Europe, though in the US they are uncommon and considered a minor berry/fruit crop. The on-going interest in potential health benefits from berry consumption has heightened interest in broadening the selection of berry/fruit crops in the US. This study measured total phenolics, total tannins, complete anthocyanin content, and total (and individual) free amino acid composition for each of five lingonberry cultivars. Cultivars Ida, Koralle, Linnea, Sanna, and Sussi were grown in Oregon, USA, and had only been evaluated previously for their horticultural traits. All five cultivars contained the three anticipated anthocyanins (by HPLC): cyanidin-3-galactoside (main anthocyanin found in these berries), cyanidin-3-glucoside, and cyanidin3-arabinoside. These lingonberries' total anthocyanin content ranged from 27.4 ('Linnea') to 52.6 ('Ida') mg/100 g fw. They contained 22 free amino acids (FFAs) and total FAAs ranged from 28.92 ('Sanna') to 70.38 ('Koralle') mg/100 g fw. Asparagine (ASN) was the leading FAA (22-34% of the total FAAs) for all five cultivars. This is the first report on lingonberry FAA content. Published by Elsevier Ltd.