Comparison of physicochemical properties, phenolic profiles and antioxidant capacity of hawthorn berries stored at different temperatures and time

This research investigated the effect of different storage temperatures on the compositional changes, physicochemical characteristics, and functional properties of hawthorn berries. Storage at 25 °C resulted in the gradual decrease of the moisture, hardness, sugar, titratable acid, and colour of hawthorn berries. These changes decreased with decreasing storage temperature, and the minimal changes happened at frozen storage (-18 °C). Similarly, the decreasing rate of ascorbic acid, extractable polyphenol (EPP), and flavonoids during storage also decreased with reducing storage temperature (25 °C > 4 °C > -18 °C). Hydrolysable polyphenol (HPP) was relatively stable during the hawthorn storage, and non-extractable proanthocyanidins (NEPA) increased with decreasing temperature. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of EPP and HPP decreased at 25 °C, while polyphenolic oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities decreased. Decreasing the storage temperature can improve the stability of the nutritional properties, antioxidant capacity, and enzyme activity of hawthorn. The specific storage temperature depends on the final processing conditions and the purposes of the hawthorn berries.