Anthocyanins of Fruits of Vaccinium, Sub-genera Cyanococcus and Polycodium1

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Abstract
Anthocyanins of ripe fruits of 13 species of Vaccinium (12 species of the Cyanococcus and 1 species of the Polycodium sub-genera) collected in the eastern United States and grown together near Castle Hayne, North Carolina were hydrolyzed to yield aglycones and sugars. TLC separation and identification of these hydrolysates indicated that anthocyanins of the 12 species of the sub-genus Cyanococcus (true blueberries; Camp) contained 5 aglycones (> means “in greater quantity than”) (delphinidin > cyanidin > malvidin > petunidin > peonidin) and 2 sugars (galactose > arabinose). Anthocyanins of Polycodium representative V. stamineum (deerberries) differed from those of representatives of Cyanococcus in that they yielded only large amounts of the aglycone cyanidin and trace amounts of peonidin. Hydrolysis of anthocyanins of fruits of V. stamineum and 7 species of Cyanococcus yielded glucose. Thus, species of Cyanococcus appeared to have a similar anthocyanin content. Anthocyanin contents of Polycodium (V. stamineum) were different than those of Cyanococcus but generally the same as those reported for cranberries (V. macrocarpon, sub-genus Oxycoccus). Reports in the literature indicate that anthocyanins of other sub-genera of Vaccinium contain xylose (V. myrtillis; bilberry; cyanidin-3-xylosylglycoside) and rhamnose (V. vitis-idaea; cowberry; delphinidin-3-glycoside, 5-glycoside, and 3-rhamno-glycoside). Thus, as indicated from this initial study, fruits of the genus Vaccinium appear to vary in anthocyanin content with sub-generic classification.

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