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Phenolic composition and antioxidant profiles of commercial blueberry cultivars: Implications for selection and quality assessment Cover

Phenolic composition and antioxidant profiles of commercial blueberry cultivars: Implications for selection and quality assessment

Folia Horticulturae
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By: ,  ,  ,  ,   and    
Open Access
|May 2026
Figures & tables

Figures & Tables

Figure 1.

Total phenolic content. Data correspond to mean ± SE of three biological replicates of the ripe fruit state. Different letters indicate significant differences among samples (p ≤ 0.05; ANOVA).

Figure 2.

Total flavonoid content. Data correspond to mean ± SE of three biological replicates of the ripe fruit state. Different letters indicate significant differences among samples (p ≤ 0.05; ANOVA).

Figure 3.

Total anthocyanin content. Data correspond to mean ± SE of three biological replicates of the ripe fruit state. Different letters indicate significant differences among samples (p ≤ 0.05; ANOVA).

Figure 4.

Antioxidant capacity. Free radical scavenging activity by FRAP was estimated in the ripe stage of fruit. Data correspond to mean ± SE of three biological replicates. Different letters indicate significant differences among developmental stages [p ≤ 0.05; ANOVA]. FRAP, ferric reducing antioxidant power.

Figure 5.

Antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT, POD, SOD, and APX) in different blueberry cultivars. Different letters indicate significant differences (p ≤ 0.05; ANOVA). Bars represent means ± SE from three independent experiments. APX, ascorbate peroxidase; CAT, catalase; POD, peroxidase; SOD, superoxide dismutase.

Figure 6.

Correlation analysis. (A) Hierarchical clustering heatmap showing Pearson correlation coefficients among biochemical and antioxidant traits in 10 blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) cultivars. (B) biplot derived from PCA. Variables include enzymatic antioxidant activities (POD, SOD, CAT, APX), total phenolics, total flavonoids, anthocyanins, antioxidant capacity (FRAP), and fruit color lightness (L). Red indicates positive correlations and blue indicates negative correlations, with color intensity corresponding to the strength of the relationship. Clustering reveals distinct groups of traits that co-vary, reflecting different antioxidant strategies among cultivars. APX, ascorbate peroxidase; CAT, catalase; PCA, principal component analysis; POD, peroxidase; SOD, superoxide dismutase.

Figure S1.

Different blueberry varieties as a visual reference.

Colour readings of the 10 blueberry fruits peel_

Cultivara*b*L*C*abh°abΔE
MeanSDMeanSDMeanSDMeanSDMeanSDMeanSD
'O’Neal'1.16±0.57–1.13±0.404.59± 1.341.68±0.48315.06± 16.70--
'Drapper'2.43±0.92–0.57±0.566.91±0.972.52± 1.01348.52±7.672.45±0.89
'Suzi'1.39±0.72–1.31±0.303.72±0.512.00±0.45313.63± 16.671.55±0.24
"Legacy'2.87±2.04–0.43±0.256.77± 1.672.92±2.02349.39±7.752.80± 1.90
'Star'1.65±0.97–0.99±0.334.28±0.742.01±0.83322.98±20.671.37±0.32
'Top shelf'4.17± 1.04–0.4±0.447.17± 1.174.20± 1.06354.83±5.323.67± 1.07
'Ventura'1.01±0.11–1.48±0.063.44±0.021.79±0.08304.11±3.131.66±0.04
'Duke'1.61±0.71–0.98±0.316.00±2.091.97±0.46324.68± 20.622.13± 1.00
'Blue ribbon'1.64±0.84–1.03±0.624.15± 1.012.08±0.47324.19±25.011.47±0.15
'Briggita'4.87± 1.54–0.77±0.767.00± 1.325.01± 1.32348.62± 14.004.08± 1.73
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fhort-2026-0004 | Journal eISSN: 2083-5965 | Journal ISSN: 0867-1761
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Language: English
Submitted on: Jul 14, 2025
Accepted on: Mar 17, 2026
Published on: May 6, 2026
Published by: Polish Society for Horticultural Sciences (PSHS)
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 2 issues per year
Keywords:
antioxidant enzymes,
cultivar variation,
fruit quality,
functional food,
phenolic compounds,
postharvest traits,
Vaccinium corymbosum L
Related subjects:
Life sciences,
Plant science,
Zoology,
Ecology,
Life sciences, other

© 2026 Natalia Neira, Carlos Vasquez-Rojas, Sebastián Flores, Patricio Ramos, Luis Morales-Quintana, Carolina Parra-Palma, published by Polish Society for Horticultural Sciences (PSHS)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

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