Phenolics in Slovenian Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.)

Phenolics from bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) sampled from seven different locations and highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) from one location in Slovenia were analyzed. In samples of both species 15 anthocyanins were identified by LC-MS/MS. Their contents were expressed as cyanidin 3-glucoside equivalents (C3GE); bilberries contained 1210.3 +/- 111.5 mg C3GE/100 g fw and blueberries 212.4 +/- 14.1 mg C3GE/100 g fw. Glycosides of delphinidin and cyanidin were predominant (488.5 vs 363.6 mg C3GE/100 g fw) in the bilberries and glycosides of malvidin (108.0 vs 100.8 mg C3GE/100 g fw) in the blueberries, whereas the contents of peonidin were lowest (74.5 vs 4.8 mg C3GE/100 g fw) in both berries. The contents of flavanols, flavonols, phenolic acids, and stilbenes were determined by LC-MS. For the first time, rutin was identified (bilberries, 0.2 +/- 0.0 mg/100 g fw; blueberries, 3.1 +/- 0.1 mg/100 g fw). Chlorogenic acid (as 3-caffeoylquinic acid) was the most abundant among the phenolic acids (23.1 +/- 1.0 mg/100 g fw in bilberries and 70.0 +/- 3.4 mg/100 g fw in blueberries). Statistical analysis shows that the content of 27 individual flavonoids, phenolic acids, and stilbenes can be used to identify the picking region of these Slovenian bilberries.