The Bioactive Compounds Obtained from Hawthorn, Chokeberry, Rosehip and Bilberry by Microfiltration

The aim of this work is to obtain the bioactive compounds in hydroalcoholic extracts of hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha, Fam. Rosaceae), chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa, Fam. Rosaceae), rosehip (Rosa canina, Fam. Roseaceae) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L., Fam. Ericaceae) by means of membrane separation process. Fruit extracts were processed by microfiltration at ambient temperature and the bioactive compounds were subsequently characterized. The microfiltration of plant extracts led to the concentration of biologically active compounds including polyphenols, procyanidins, flavanols, and their separation from lower molecular weight compounds (amino acids, monosaccharides etc.), passed into the microfiltration permeate solutions. To investigate the antioxidant activity of each plant extract, cupric ion reduction antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) spectrophotometric methodology was employed.