EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL QUALITY AND BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS OF LONICERA CAERULEA

This study evaluates and compares the nutritional quality and bioactive compounds of berry fruits from Lonicera caerulea (honeyberry) grown in Romania. These berries are known for their rich content of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, which contribute to their potential health benefits. The study was carried out over a period of two years to evaluate fruit size, average weight per fruit, firmness, but also the total content of bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins and carotenoids, along with vitamin content. C, total sugar, extracted from fresh berries. The aim of the study was to compare the fruit quality, chemical composition of berries from new introduced in the Institute’s collection blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L.) cultivars bred in Poland: 'Wojtek', HoneyBee, Jugana, Docz Velika, and 'Bakczarskij Velikan', along with a Romanian cultivar 'Kami', which was used as a control. The research carried out showed the following results: average weight per plant recorded values between 0.52 g ('Bakczarskij Velikan') and 1.03 g ('Honey Bee'); fruit firmness showed variations from 6.37 N ('Docz Velika') to 15.07 N ('Bakczarskij Velikan'); total soluble solids ranged from 11.37°Brix ('Honey Bee') to 13.33°Brix ('Kami'); polyphenol content oscillated from 9,977.24 mg GAE/100g ('Kami') to 8,538.30 mg GAE/100g ('Honey Bee'); and vitamin C levels ranged from 619.69% ('Kami') to 247.23% ('Wojtek'). These results indicate the importance of the Lonicera cultivars for their role in health and nutrition.