The Bioactive Potential of Fruit Juice of Black Chokeberry ( <i>Aronia melanocarpa</i> ) Produced in Edirne Province‐Türkiye: Phenolic Profile, Elemental Composition, and In Vitro Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities

In today's world, the market and consumption of fruits are constantly increasing due to the versatility offered by the presentation of fruits in many different forms when marketed. In particular, the nutritional properties of fruits and the types that provide benefits such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties also positively affect this situation. The term 'superfruit' has been coined to highlight the exceptional nutritional value and distinctive health-promoting phytochemicals of specific fruits. The present study purposed therefore to systematically explore the phenolic profile, macro/micro-element ingredients, and the capacity of in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activity in fruit juice from <i>Aronia melanocarpa</i>, a fruit widely recognized as a superfruit, cultivated for four years in Edirne Province, Türkiye. <i>Aronia melanocarpa</i> fruit juice (AFJ) used in our experiment was rich in phenolic acid (2.37 ± 0.28 mg gallic acid equivalents mL^-1 juice) and flavonoid substances (4.68 ± 0.45 mg catechin equivalents mL^-1 juice). Considering the effect of both AFJ concentration and treatment duration, the higher antioxidant activity was observed in ABTS^+• assay compared with the DPPH^• assay. The IC₅₀ of DPPH^• and ABTS^+• scavenging abilities were 26.31 ± 0.65 and 27.99 ± 0.78 μL mL^-1, respectively, and the MIC of AFJ against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were 71,687 and 286,750 μg mL^-1, respectively. Aronia juice from Edirne, rich in polyphenolic substances, has the potential to be used directly/indirectly as both an antioxidative and antibacterial additive in the production of functional beverages or foods.