KURT DAĞI YAYLASI’NDAN (TRABZON, TÜRKİYE) TOPLANAN YABAN MERSİNİ MEYVESİNİN SULU EKSTRAKTININ BİYOAKTİF İÇERİĞİNİN VE ANTİMİKROBİYAL AKTİVİTESİNİN BELİRLENMESİ

Abstract

Karadeniz bölgesinde doğal olarak yetişen ve yerel halk tarafından sağlık açısından faydalı etkisi yüzünden tüketilen yaban mersini (Vaccinium arctostaphylos L.) küçük koyu mor/mavi renkli meyvelere sahip fonksiyonel bir gıda olarak bilinmektedir. Yaban mersininin yetiştiği çevre koşullarına göre, biyoaktif içeriği ve sağlık üzerine etkisinin farklılık gösterebileceğini göz önüne alarak; Kurt Dağı yaylasında doğal ortamda yetişen yaban mersininin polifenol ve flavonoid içeriğini ölçmek ve buna bağlı olarak antimikrobiyal aktivitesini belirlemeyi amaçladık. Kurt Dağı platosundan Ağustos 2024’te toplanan meyve örneklerinden (n=1) tek bir birleşik sulu ekstrakt hazırlanmıştır. Örnekler 45°C’de 24 saat boyunca kurutulmuş; bu örnekten 700 mg’lık bir kısım 25 mL saf su içinde çözülmüş ve tüm ölçümler elde edilen çözelti üzerinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ekstraksiyon işlemi ve kimyasal ölçümler üç kez tekrarlanmıştır. Toplam polifenol içeriği (21.041 ± 0.976 µg/g GAE) ve flavonoid içeriği (1.733 ± 0.294 µg/g QE) kantitatif olarak belirlenmiştir. Üç standart referans suşa karşı yapılan antimikrobiyal duyarlılık testleri, birleşik sulu ekstraktın Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 ve Escherichia coli ATCC 25922’ye karşı orta-zayıf düzeyde inhibitör aktivite gösterdiğini (MİK: 6.5 mg/mL), buna karşın Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853’e karşı yalnızca zayıf inhibitör aktivite sergilediğini ortaya koymuştur (MİK: 25 mg/mL). Elde edilen bu veriler, bölgedeki yaban mersini popülasyonunun yüksek fenolik madde içeriğiyle paralel olarak kayda değer bir antimikrobiyal potansiyele sahip olduğunu ve patojen mikroorganizmalara karşı doğal bir inhibitör ajan olarak değerlendirilebileceğini göstermektedir.

Keywords

• Antimikrobiyal
• Yaban Mersini
• Flavonoidler
• Polifenoller

DETERMINATION OF THE BIOACTIVE COMPOSITION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF THE AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF WILD BLUEBERRIES COLLECTED FROM KURT DAĞI HIGHLANDS (TRABZON, TÜRKİYE)

Abstract

Blueberries (Vaccinium arctostaphylos L.), which grow naturally in the Black Sea region and are consumed by the local population for their health benefits, are known as a functional food characterized by small, dark purple-blue berries. Considering that the bioactive content and health effects of blueberries may vary depending on the environmental conditions in which they are grown, we aimed to measure the polyphenol and flavonoid contents of blueberries naturally grown on the Kurt Dağı plateau and to determine their antimicrobial activity. A single pooled aqueous extract derived from Vaccinium arctostaphylos fruits (n=1) was prepared: floral samples collected from the Kurt Dağı plateau in August 2024 were dried at 45°C for 24 hours; a 700 mg portion of this sample was dissolved in 25 mL of pure water, and all measurements were performed on the resulting solution. The extraction process and chemical measurements were repeated three times. The total polyphenol (21.041 ± 0.976 µg/g GAE) and flavonoid content (1.733 ± 0.294 µg/g QE) were quantified. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing against three standard reference strains revealed that the pooled extract exhibited moderate-weak inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 (MIC: 6.5 mg/mL), whereas only weak inhibitory activity was observed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 (MIC: 25 mg/mL). These data indicate that the blueberry population in the region has a significant antimicrobial potential, consistent with its high phenolic content, and can be considered a natural inhibitor of pathogenic microorganisms.

Keywords

• Antimicrobial
• Blueberry
• Flavonoids
• Polyphenols

References

1. Åkerström, A., Jaakola, L., Bång, U., & Jäderlund, A. (2010). Effects of latitude-related factors and geographical origin on anthocyanidin concentrations in fruits of Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberries). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58(22), 11939–11945. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf102407n
2. Bighamanganeh, H., Salabati, M., Khalilpour, A., Akbaribazm, M., & Akbarnezhad, N. (2025). Pharmacological and Therapeutic Properties of the Caucasian Whortleberry (Vaccinium arctostaphylos L.): An Overview of the New Findings. Food Science & Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.70702
3. Burt, S. (2004). Essential oils: their antibacterial properties and potential applications in foods—a review. International journal of food microbiology, 94(3), 223-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2004.03.022
4. Cos, P., Vlietinck, A. J., Vanden Berghe, D., & Maes, L. (2006). Anti-infective potential of natural products: How to develop a stronger in vitro ‘proof-of-concept’. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 106(3), 290–302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2006.04.003
5. Drozdz, P., Seziene, V., & Pyrzynska, K. (2017). Phytochemical Properties and Antioxidant Activities of Extracts from Wild Blueberries and Lingonberries. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 72(4), 360–364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-017-0640-3
6. European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST). (2024). EUCAST reading guide for broth microdilution (version 3.0). (Retrieved May 23, 2026). from https://www.eucast.org/bacteria/methodology-and-instructions/mic-determination/
7. Horzic, D., Komes, D., Belscak, A., Ganic, K.K., Ivekovic, D., & Karlovic, D. (2009). The composition of polyphenols and methylxanthines in teas and herbal infusions. Food Chemistry, 115, 441-448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.12.022
8. Jafri, H., Banerjee, G., Khan, M. S. A., Ahmad, I., Abulreesh, H. H., & Althubiani, A. S. (2020). Synergistic interaction of eugenol and antimicrobial drugs in eradication of single and mixed biofilms of Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans. AMB Express, 10(1), 185. https://doi.org/10.1186/S13568-020-01123-2

9. Kardil, U., Akar, Z., & Özad Düzgün, A. (2024). Investigation of antibiofilm and biological activities of Vaccinium arctostaphylos L. Turkish Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 6(1), 25–31. https://doi.org/10.51435/turkjac.1489982
10. Lin, J. Y., & Tang, C. Y. (2007). Determination of total phenolic and flavonoid contents in selected fruits and vegetables, as well as their stimulatory effects on mouse splenocyte proliferation. Food Chemistry, 101, 140-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.01.014
11. Nurzyńska-Wierdak, R. (2023). Phenolic compounds from new natural sources—plant genotype and ontogenetic variation. Molecules, 28(4), 1731. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28041731
12. Okan, O. T., Deniz, I., Yayli, N., Sat, I. G., Oz, M., & Hatipoglu Serdar, G. (2018). Antioxidant activity, sugar content and phenolic profiling of blueberries cultivars: A comprehensive comparison. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 46(2), 639–652. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha46211120.
13. Okan, O. T., Ulusoy, E., Öz, M., & Deniz, İ. (2024). Evaluation of Antioxidant Properties of Wild and Cultivated Blueberry Leaves and Their Phenolic Compound. Kastamonu University Journal of Forestry Faculty, 24(2), 104-114. https://doi.org/10.17475/kastorman.1557369
14. Ozgen, M., Çelik, H., & Saracoglu, O. (2014). Less known Vaccinium: Antioxidant and chemical properties of selected Caucasian whortleberry (Vaccinium arctostaphylos) fruits native to Black Sea region of Turkey. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum-Hortorum Cultus, 13(2), 59–68.
15. Ozkan, G., Ercisli, S., Zeb, A., Agar, G., Sagbas, H., Ilhan, G., & Gundogdu, M. (2019). Some morphological and biochemical characteristics of wild grown Caucasian whortleberry (Vaccinium arctostaphylos L.) genotypes from northeastern Turkey. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 47(2), 378–383. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha47111288
16. Pang, Z., Raudonis, R., Glick, B. R., Lin, T.-J., & Cheng, Z. (2019). Antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: mechanisms and alternative therapeutic strategies. Biotechnology Advances, 37(1), 177–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.11.013
17. Rahman, M. M., Rahaman, M. S., Islam, M. R., Rahman, F., Mithi, F. M., Alqahtani, T., Almikhlafi, M. A., Alghamdi, S. Q., Alruwaili, A. S., Hossain, M. S., Ahmed, M., Das, R., Emran, T. B., & Uddin, M. S. (2021). Role of Phenolic Compounds in Human Disease: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects. Molecules, 27(1), 233. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27010233
18. Ríos, J. L., & Recio, M. C. (2005). Medicinal plants and antimicrobial activity. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 100(1–2), 80–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2005.04.025
19. Saral, Ö., Ölmez, Z., & Şahin, H. (2015). Comparison of antioxidant properties of wild blueberries (Vaccinium arctostaphylos L. and Vaccinium myrtillus L.) with cultivated blueberry varieties (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in Artvin region of Turkey. Türk Tarım - Gıda Bilim ve Teknoloji Dergisi, 3(1), 40–44.
20. Shamilov, A., Olennikov, D., Pozdnyakov, D., Bubenchikova, V., Garsiya, E., & Larskii, M. (2022). Caucasian blueberry: Comparative study of phenolic compounds and neuroprotective and antioxidant potential of Vaccinium myrtillus and Vaccinium arctostaphylos leaves. Life, 12(12), 2079. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12122079
21. Teimouri, M. (2015). The chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Vaccinium arctostaphylos L. International Journal of Advanced Biological and Biomedical Research, 3(3), 270–274.
22. Uçurum, H. Ö., & Ekşi, H. (2019). Investigation of phenolic composition of organically-grown strawberry and blueberry. Gıda, 44(5), 794–801. https://doi.org/10.15237/gida.GD19049
23. Vaou, N., Stavropoulou, E., Voidarou, C., Tsigalou, C., & Bezirtzoglou, E. (2021). Towards Advances in Medicinal Plant Antimicrobial Activity: A Review Study on challenges and future perspectives. Microorganisms, 9(10), 2041. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9102041
24. World Health Organization (WHO). (2026). Antimicrobial resistance. Retrieved August 7, 2026, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance (Accessed date: 07.08.2026)