Ripening- and Season-Dependent Variation in Polyphenolic Compounds and the Antioxidant Capacity of Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus L.)

Anna Pál; Róbert Nagy; Endre Mathe; Péter Keczkó; Péter Sipos

doi:10.3390/antiox15040462

journal article Open Access Apr 08, 2026

Ripening- and Season-Dependent Variation in Polyphenolic Compounds and the Antioxidant Capacity of Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus L.)

Anna Pál

Róbert Nagy

Endre Mathe

Péter Keczkó Péter Sipos

Antioxidants Vol. 15 No. 4 pp. 462 · MDPI AG

View at Publisher Save 10.3390/antiox15040462

Abstract

Antioxidants play an essential role in human health by reducing damage caused by free radicals. Total polyphenol, flavonoid, and anthocyanin contents and the antioxidant capacity of two sour cherry cultivars (Cigánymeggy, Oblacsinszka) grown under conventional and organic production systems were evaluated over two consecutive years at different stages of ripening. Results showed that the concentrations of different antioxidant compounds varied during ripening, but more significant differences were observed between the growing seasons, whereas no significant differences were found between the investigated genotypes or cultivation methods. In 2024, total polyphenol values during the harvest period ranged from 1116.33 to 1874.39 mg GAE/100 g DM, while in 2025 they ranged from 909.81 to 1668.96 mg GAE/100 g DM. Polyphenol profile analysis showed that the main polyphenolic compounds of sour cherries, including cyanidin-3-glucosylrutinoside, cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and cyanidin-3-sophoroside, were detected in both years, indicating that the major anthocyanin components were consistently present despite harvesting year effects.

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Details

Published: Apr 08, 2026
Vol/Issue: 15(4)
Pages: 462
License: View

Authors

A

Anna Pál

Doctoral School of Food Science, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; Institute of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Food Science and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; Penta Familia Cooperative, 4445 Nagycserkesz, Hungary

R

Róbert Nagy

Institute of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Food Science and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary

E

Endre Mathe

Institute of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Food Science and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary

P

Péter Keczkó

Penta Familia Cooperative, 4445 Nagycserkesz, Hungary

P

Péter Sipos

Institute of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Food Science and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary

Funding

KDP-2023 program of the Ministry for Culture and Innovation

Development and Innovation Fund

DE Scientific Research Fund (DETKA) Bridging Grant

University of Debrecen Publication Research Support Program

Cite This Article

Anna Pál, Róbert Nagy, Endre Mathe, et al. (2026). Ripening- and Season-Dependent Variation in Polyphenolic Compounds and the Antioxidant Capacity of Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus L.). Antioxidants, 15(4), 462. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15040462

Ripening- and Season-Dependent Variation in Polyphenolic Compounds and the Antioxidant Capacity of Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus L.)

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