Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) is rich in bioactive compounds. In this study, polyphenols from A. melanocarpa were extracted using both ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent (DES) and conventional organic solvents (80% methanol and 60% ethanol). The crude extracts were purified using AB-8 macroporous resin. The purified fractions were analyzed by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography─quadrupole time-of-flight─tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS), identifying and quantifying 49 polyphenolic compounds, including 16 anthocyanins, 3 procyanidins, 20 flavonoids, and 10 phenolic acids. The DES extract exhibited the highest total polyphenol content (84.56 ± 3.85 mg/g), significantly surpassing the conventional extracts. Antioxidant activities were evaluated in vitro by assessing the scavenging capacities against hydroxyl, DPPH, and ABTS+ radicals. The DES extract demonstrated superior antioxidant activity in all assays. Furthermore, the DES-extracted A. melanocarpa polyphenols (AMP) and a blueberry polyphenol (BP) extract underwent in vitro simulated digestion. Postdigestion, the AMP extract showed significantly stronger inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase activities compared to BP, indicating its greater potential for hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic applications. Results demonstrate that ultrasound-assisted DES extraction is a highly efficient and green method for obtaining polyphenol-rich extracts from A. melanocarpa with enhanced bioactivity, providing a scientific basis for its utilization in functional foods.
Sun et al. (Fri,) studied this question.