# Bromatological Profile of Fruits from Sorbus aucuparia and Crataegus monogyna: Polyphenol Bioaccessibility and Inhibitory Effect on Lipid Peroxidation in a Biological Model

## TL;DR

This study examines the nutritional and antioxidant properties of rowanberry and hawthorn fruits, finding them rich in bioactive compounds and effective in reducing lipid peroxidation.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the detailed analysis of polyphenol bioaccessibility and antioxidant effects of underutilized Sorbus aucuparia and Crataegus monogyna fruits in a biological model.

## Key findings

- Rowanberry and hawthorn fruits contain high levels of bioactive compounds like α-tocopherol and polyphenols.
- Hawthorn fruits showed higher antioxidant activity and better bioaccessibility of polyphenols like catechin and epigallocatechin.
- Both fruits reduced lipid peroxidation in egg yolk homogenates, though less effectively than synthetic antioxidants.

## Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the bromatological profile of fruits from rowanberry (Sorbus aucuparia L.) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.), as well as the polyphenol bioaccessibility under in vitro simulated gastrointestinal conditions, antioxidant activity and the inhibition of lipid peroxidation in a biological model (egg yolk). The fruits were demonstrated to be rich in bioactive compounds, containing comparable total vitamin E levels (~65 mg/kg), with α-tocopherol as the predominant isomer, and measurable amounts of xanthophylls, mainly lutein (20.19–21.69 μg/g), astaxanthin, and canthaxanthin. HPLC-DAD analysis identified 19 polyphenolic compounds, with catechin being the dominant compound in rowanberry fruits (4.36 mg/g), while epigallocatechin and catechin were the most abundant in hawthorn fruits. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion showed elevated intestinal bioaccessibility of hydroxybenzoic acids, with ellagic acid reaching ~96% in the intestinal phase of rowanberry fruits and ~109% in hawthorn fruits, indicating increased availability. In hawthorn fruits, flavanols exhibited greater stability and higher bioaccessibility, with catechin reaching 101% in the gastric phase, epicatechin remaining highly bioaccessible (98–97%), and epigallocatechin showing moderate bioaccessibility (24–50%). Both fruit extracts exhibited antioxidant activity, with hawthorn fruits showing significantly higher ABTS and DPPH scavenging capacities. Rowanberry and hawthorn fruits exhibited an inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation in yolk homogenates, reducing malondialdehyde formation to 37.19 mg/kg and 20.58 mg/kg from 50.79 mg/kg, respectively, although their efficacy remained lower than that of synthetic antioxidants. The findings of this study indicate that rowanberry and hawthorn fruits are promising sources of bioactive compounds, exhibiting significant antioxidant activity in biological models and supporting the potential valorization of these underutilized fruits for functional food and nutraceutical applications.