EventsThe 5th International Electronic Conference on Processes
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This submission belongs to the session S3. Food Process Engineering of the event The 5th International Electronic Conference on Processes
Published date
15 Oct, 2026
Academic Editor
author-avatarDariusz Dziki
Citation
Sara Hourani, Ružica Ždero Pavlović, Branimir Pavlić, Alicja Kucharska, Boris M. Popović, Phytochemical Profile and Bioactivity of Blueberry Pomace and Leaves, in Proceedings of The 5th International Electronic Conference on Processes, 20 October–22 October 2026, MDPI: Basel, Switzerland
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Phytochemical Profile and Bioactivity of Blueberry Pomace and Leaves

Sara Hourani 1
Ružica Ždero Pavlović 2
image
Branimir Pavlić 1
Alicja Kucharska 3
Boris M. Popović 2
1. Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, Novi Sad, Serbia
2. Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8, Novi Sad, Serbia
3. Department of Fruit, Vegetable and Plant Nutraceutical Technology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Norwida 25, 50-375, Wrocław, Poland
Abstract

Blueberry is a shrub belonging to the Ericaceae family, valued for its edible fruits and recognized as an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which is why it is widely consumed. Despite its high nutritional value, the main by-product generated during processing is often neglected, although it contains significant amounts of anthocyanins, polysaccharides, vitamins, and other bioactive compounds. Recent research has highlighted the potential of blueberry waste as a valuable source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and other biological activities, while approximately 30% of blueberry processing results in pomace (Huang et al., 2025; Zhang et al., 2025).

The aim of this research was to identify the key compounds responsible for antioxidant and biological activities in blueberry pomace and leaves. Extracts were prepared using 50% ethanol as an extraction solvent and analyzed for total flavonoid content. Antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH assay, while biological activity was assessed through α-amylase inhibitory assay. The phytochemical profile was determined using UPLC-ESI-TQD-MS/MS and quantified by HPLC-DAD.

The results showed significantly higher total flavonoid content in the leaf extract (89.04 mg CATE/g DE) compared to the pomace extract (6.54 mg CATE/g DE). The DPPH assay revealed IC50 values of 0.40 mg DE/mL for the pomace extract and 0.22 mg DE/mL for the leaf extract. Similarly, the α-amylase inhibitory assay also showed that the blueberry pomace extract exhibited slightly lower activity compared to the leaf extract, with IC50 values of 2.67 mg/mL and 1.61 mg/mL, respectively. Additionally, the results of the HPLC-DAD analysis showed that the most abundant flavonol in both extracts was quercetin 3-O-galactoside, with concentrations of 248.86 mg/100 g in pomace and 1391.44 mg/100 g in leaves.

These findings highlight the potential of blueberry by-products as valuable sources of bioactive compounds and support their further valorization.

Keywords
blueberry
fruit industry waste
antioxidant activity
enzyme-inhibitory activity
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