Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) wine as a novel potential functional food product

Throughout human civilization, elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) has been used as a traditional drug and addition to various dishes. Although it is a widespread plant species, it is still being researched and rarely used to obtain new products. In this study, we focused on the chemical and phytochemical composition and biological and pharmacological effects of elderberry wine, obtained by applying different temperature treatments (without temperature treatment – W1; 60 °C, 5 min – W2; 60 °C, 10 min – W3; and 70 °C, 5 min – W4). HPLC-MS/MS and spectrophotometric techniques determined the chemical and phytochemical profiles of obtained wines. The main compounds in analyzed wines were p-Hydroxybenzoic, protocatechuic and chlorogenic acids, quercetin, quercetin-3-O-hexoside, and rutin. To assess the biological potential, antioxidant, neuroprotective (acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition), antityrosinase, and antidiabetic (amylase inhibition and glucosidase inhibition) abilities were examined. Wine W4 showed the strongest antioxidant activity, which correlated well with the high phenol content. The best inhibitory effect of β-glucosidase was observed in wine W3. However, the most potent tyrosinase inhibitor was wine W4. The presented results prove elderberry wine's high biological and industrial potential and open new avenues for formulating new products that could be brought to market.