CONTENT OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY IN CHOKEBERRIES JUICE (ARONIA MELANOCARPA)

Aronia fruits (Aronia melanocarpa) are very rarely used in the Romanian diet, although they have the highest antioxidant properties of all fruits. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of fresh aronia juice and dried fruit residues. The antioxidant activity of the samples was determined by DPPH assay. Total antioxidant capacity was evaluated by the phosphomolybdate method. The content of polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins in the aronia samples was also investigated. The results showed that fresh aronia juice contains the highest levels of phenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activity. A high level of anthocyanins was found especially in the dried fruit residues. These results demonstrate the potential of Aronia melanocarpa as a healthy and nutritionally rich dietary food with many functionalities and benefits.