Antioxidative and antimicrobial properties of American and European cranberries

Abstract

European cranberry Vaccinium oxyccocos L. was widely spread in Lithuania till the sixth decade of the last century. This species was very appreciated in folk medicine but land melioration caused the critical decreasing of the natural resources of European cranberry in Lithuania (Daubaras and Česonienė 2004).The reduction in the ground water level diminished the vitality of European cranberry. The unique collection of genetic resources of this species was established at Kaunas Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University with the purpose to preserve valuable clones selected in the strictly protected areas Čepkeliai, Žuvintas, Kamanos, and in other bogs as well. The comprehensive evaluations of phenotypic and genetic diversity of European cranberry were conducted in 1997-2005 (Daubaras et al. 2004, Areškevičiūtė et al., 2006). Investigations of American cranberry Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton was started in Lithuania 40 years ago. The latest assessment of European and American cranberry has revealed very valuable biochemical composition of the berries. Phenolic compounds have been identified as strong antioxidants, with the potential to prevent oxidative damage and protect against cardiovascular diseases and some cancers (Vinson et al., 2001, Wang and Stretch, 2001, Vorsa et al., 2002; Xiaojun et al., 2002). The phenolic phytochemicals are secondary metabolites that distinguish for the function to protect plants against biological and environmental stresses, i.e. fungal or bacterial infections (Kähkönen et al., 1999). Aim of this study is to investigate antioxidative and antimicrobial properties of European and American cranberries.[...]