THE INFLUENCE OF DRYING TEMPERATURES ON THE AMOUNTS OF BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES IN EDIBLE HONEYCOMB (Lonicera Caerulea L.) BERRIES

Abstract

In this study, the influence of drying temperatures of 50 °C and 60 °C on the amount of biologically active substances of edible honeysuckle berries (Lonicera caerulea) was studied. There were evaluated four varieties of edible honeysuckle berries: 'Aurora', 'Honeybee', 'Wojtek' and 'Zojka'. The research was carried out in 2022 at the laboratory of quality of plant raw materials, Faculty of Agronomy, Vytautas Magnus University, where the total content of total phenolic, total anthocyanins content, amount of vitamin C and antioxidant activity DPPH were determined in the tested edible honeysuckle berries. It was found that the highest amount of total phenolic conten was found in the fresh berries of the 'Wojtek' variety, also that drying at a temperature of 50°C had a significantly effect on reducing the amount of total phenolics in all studied berries varieties. On the other hand, drying at 50 °C and 60 °C had a significant effect on the reduction of total anthocyanin content. The highest vitamin C content was found in fresh berries of the 'Zojka' variety. The drying  procedure significantly reduced the vitamin C content, but no significant differences were found between 50 °C and 60 °C (except for cultivar 'Aurora'). The significant effect of drying on antioxidant activity was found in berries of the cultivars 'Aurora' and 'Honeybee'.