The black elder berries are a valuable source of polyphenolic compounds  and minerals. Owing to their antioxidant activity and anticancerogenic properties, fruit of the black elder shrubs are used in medicine and dietary supplementation. The aim of this study has been to determine the content of polyphenolic compounds, bioelements (Ca, Mg and Zn) and antiradical activity as well as correlation between polyphenols and antiradical activity, also between polyphenols and bioelements in the fruit. The material consisted of berries from several cultivars of the black elder (Alleso, Korsor, Sampo, Samyl). A spectrophotometric method was employed to determine the content of polyphenols and the antiradical activity. The content of bioelements was determined with the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometric method (FAAS). The results implicate that the highest content of total phenols and anthocyanins was in fruit of cv. Samyl. The content of flavonols was higher in fruit of the cultivars Samyl and Korsor than in Sampo and Alleso. The content of phenolic acids was higher in fruit produced by cv. Korsor, Sampo and Samyl than by Alleso. Fruit from cv. Samyl and Korsor had higher antiradical activity (ABTS) than that from Alleso and Sampo, although results of DPPH show that these values were high and comparable in all fruit. The antiradical activity is positively correlated with the content of polyphenols. Berries of cv. Samyl were characterized by the highest content of calcium and magnesium, but had less zinc. The polyphenolic compounds were positively correlated with calcium, whereas magnesium was correlated with total phenols, while zinc correlated with flavonols and phenolic acids.

25.2.2020