Determination of phenolic content of Berberis vulgaris L. fruits harvested at different times by multivariate analysis

This study focused on the levels of phenolic compounds present in the fruits of Berberis vulgaris genotypes harvested at different times and determined the relationship between the studied traits by multivariate analysis. Harvest time significantly affected the amount of phenolic content. There were significant increases in gallic, catechin, chlorogenic, rutin, and q-coumaric acid contents, while caffeic and syringic acid contents decreased significantly as the harvest time was delayed. In PCA analysis, PC1 and PC2 explained 78.3% of the data. It was found that ‘Harvest 1’ was notable for its high content of caffeic and syringic acids, while ‘Harvest 4’ excelled in catechin, gallic acid, and chlorogenic acid content. It was also determined that ‘Genotype 1’ stood out in terms of myricetin, quercetin, p-coumaric, q-coumaric, and rutin content. This study highlights the importance of phenolic acid content in determining the optimal harvest time. The findings indicate that ‘Harvest 4’ (December) is the most suitable period for harvesting, particularly in terms of gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, rutin, and q-coumaric acid.