Composition, sun protective and antimicrobial activity of lipophilic bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) extract fractions

Berries of the genus Vaccinium found in bogs and forest of Northern Europe are a valuable source of biologically active substances containing sterols, unsaturated fatty acids, flavanoids, anthocyanins. The presence of these compounds provides various health benefits of berry use – treatment of urinary tract inflammation, controls levels of sugar in the blood, improves cardiovascular health and reduces negative effects of oxidative stress caused by free radicals. The studied bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) lipids were fractionated using normal-phase chromatography and they were found to contain fatty acids (oleic, linoleic acid), sterols (β-sitosterol), isoprenoids (ursolic and oleanolic acid) and different long-chain aliphatic compounds. The prepared extract fractions were tested for their sun protective factor and antimicrobial activity. Fractions containing high concentrations of phenolic acids (cinnamic acid, benzoic acid) were shown to have potential UV-B blocking activity, whereas the fractions with high sterol content effectively inhibited the growth of tested bacteria. These findings are empirical for the creation of natural nutraceutical and cosmeceutical functional ingredients.