The aim of this study was to characterize sweet cherry regarding nutritional
composition of the fruits, and individual phytochemicals and bioactive properties of
fruits and stems. The chromatographic profiles in sugars, organic acids, fatty acids,
tocopherols and phenolic compounds were established. All the preparations (extracts,
infusions and decoctions) obtained using stems revealed higher antioxidant potential
than the fruits extract, which is certainly related with its higher phenolic compounds
(phenolic acids and flavonoids) concentration. The fruits extract was the only one
showing antitumor potential, revealing selectivity against HCT-15 (colon carcinoma)
(GI50~74 μg/mL). This could be related with anthocyanins that were only found in fruits
and not in stems. None of the preparations have shown hepatotoxicity against normal
primary cells. Overall, this study reports innovative results regarding chemical and
bioactive properties of sweet cherry stems, and confirmed the nutritional and
antioxidant characteristics of their fruits.The authors are grateful to Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for
financial support to the research centre CIMO (strategic project PEst
OE/AGR/UI0690/2011) and L. Barros researcher contract under “Programa
Compromisso com Ciência – 2008”
