The authors are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (strategic project PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2011) and REQIMTE (PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2011), M.I. Dias grant (SFRH/BD/84485/2012) and L. Barros contract under “Programa Compromisso com a Ciência-2008”.
The phenolic profile of hydromethanolic extracts, infusions and decoctions of commercial and wild samples of Fragaria vesca (wild strawberry) roots was obtained by HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS, and further correlated with their antioxidant properties. Commercial and wild samples showed similarities in terms of flavan-3-ols (TF3O), with catechin derivatives, mainly procyanidins, as major compounds in both samples. The commercial sample presented ellagic acid glycosides, whereas the wild sample presented flavonols (TF) and dihydroflavonols (TdhF, taxifolin derivatives). The infusion of wild sample gave the highest content of total phenolic compounds (TPC), DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging activity, reducing power and TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) inhibition. The antioxidant capacity (mainly β-carotene bleaching and TBARS inhibition) observed for the wild sample is correlated with TF3O, TF and TPC. Overall, the high antioxidant potential of F. vesca roots was demonstrated and could be achieved directly by consumption of infusions/decoctions or by incorporating hydromethanolic extracts in antioxidant formulations.
