Bioactives from Blackberry Byproducts as Potential Nutraceuticals for Metabolic Syndrome

Blackberries belong to the genus Rubus L. (Rosaceae), autochthonous forEurope and America, but now present world widely, except for Antarctica. The organoleptic features and nutritional richness of the fruits abundant in vitamins, minerals, organic dietary fibers, and phenolic acids, contribute to the growing popularity and economic importance of blackberries. Serbia is one of the world’s leading producers of these fruits. Blackberry production and processing generate various by-products that remain unutilized despite their high content of bioactive compounds. The goal of this study is to offer an innovative approach to blackberry waste management by formulating a nutraceutical with preventive effects on metabolic syndrome. This study includes biowaste from the three most common cultivars in Serbia, “Čačanska Bestrna” and “Thornfree”, as well as “Loch Ness”, an emerging variety with exceptional market potential. Our results show that the examined biowaste extracts contain high amounts of phenolics, especially ellagitannins. The extracts presented promising in vitro antioxidant activity in DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, TRC, and BCB assay. They also significantly inhibited enzymes associated with  inflammation, obesity, diabetes and hypertension under in vitro conditions. These results suggested that “Čačanska Bestrna” extract is most bioactive and has been chosen for further testing in a preclinical study to evaluate capacity to prevent or dimmish metabolic syndrome. The impact of the extracts on haematological, biochemical, oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory parameters as well as gut permeability and gut microbiome relevant to MetS are being assessed. Moreover, impact of the extracts on global gene expression in liver and adipose tissue will be performed to decipher in-dept molecular mechanisms underlying the observed effects.