Bioactive content of Rosa canina biotypes from Turkey

Rose hips have been used as medicinal and aromatic plants for a long time throughout Turkey. The plant has been the focus of many recent studies due to its potential effects on treatment and prevention of several diseases. However, there are few in vitro studies concerning its composition and antioxidant capacity. The aim of the present study was to determine bioactive content including ascorbic acid, total phenolics, total flavonoids, total carotenoids and antioxidant activity of Rosa canina biotypes growing wild in Sivas province located eastern Anatolia. The results revealed that fruits of Rosa canina biotypes rich in terms of Vitamin C which ranged from 360 to 482 mg/100 g fresh weight base. The total phenolic content varied from 340 to 464 mg/100 g fresh weight. The biotype S-07 had the highest total flavonoids content (241 mg quercetin equivalent/100 g fresh weight) and the lowest value attributed to biotype S-01 as 151 mg/quercetin equivalent/100 g fresh weight. The antioxidant activity of the biotypes was between 14.2-30.7 μg Trolox/ml sample. The results revealed that there was enough diversity among Rosa canina biotypes for bioactive content and promising biotypes with high bioactive content are ready material for future breeding activities.