Promising cultivars and intraspecific taxa of lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.): Profiling of phenolics and triterpenoids

Abstract

Leaves and fruits of lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) are important raw materials for the food and health care industries, gaining notoriety as “superfoods”. Cultivation of this horticultural crop however is still in its infancy with a small commercial industry established. The present study aimed to distinguish between ten selected cultivars, one variety, and one subspecies of lingonberry raw materials. Fifty-nine specialized metabolites, belonging to subgroups of phenolics and triterpenoids, were identified and quantified using validated chromatographic methods. Results showed that phytochemical profiles were significantly different among lingonberry cultivars and intraspecific taxa based on the levels of individual phytoconstituents and their distribution throughout lingonberry parts. In general, leaves of cultivars were richer in the content of most phenolics, while fruits stood out with their higher content of triterpenoids. An abundance of identified compounds was determined in lingonberry raw materials of cultivars ‘Kostromička’, ‘Kostromskaja rozovaja’, ‘Rubin’, and V. vitis-idaea subsp. minus. Multivariate data analysis clustered the investigated samples into distinct groups, which differed by their country of origin. This work contributes to genetic variation data and provides important insights into the phytochemical properties of cultivated lingonberries, which can be useful for choosing and developing lingonberry genomes for commercial cultivation and targeted application.