The Sorbus spp. are valuable plants, which have been used for ornamental purposes, in traditional medicines and less seldom in foods. Recent studies have revealed different anatomical parts of the Sorbus spp. to contain valuable phytochemicals demonstrating various bioactivities. However, in terms of applications in the products intended for human consumption, Sorbus still remains as an underutilised genus. The increasing number of studies on phytochemicals, antioxidant potential and other bioactivities of Sorbus extracts has revealed the prospects of expanding its use in natural medicines, cosmetics and as innovative food ingredients, which might find wider applications in functional foods and/or nutraceuticals. Caffeoylquinic acids, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins have been reported in various Sorbus spp. as the most abundant polyphenolic antioxidants. The preparations of various plant anatomical parts have been used in ethnopharmacology as natural remedy for treating bacterial, viral, inflammatory diseases including tumors. Sorbus spp. plant parts have also been tested for management of diabetes, neurological, and cardiovascular disorders. The present review is focused on Sorbus plants (in total 27 Sorbus spp.), their composition and properties in terms of developing promising ingredients for foods, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and other applications. It is expected that this review will assist in designing further studies of rowans and other Sorbus spp. in order to expand their uses for various human applications.

This study aimed to identify promising candidates of rowanberry cultivars for a wider cultivation and utilization. Antioxidant properties and phenolic content were evaluated for fruit, juice, and pomace samples of 16 different sweet rowanberry cultivars (cvs) and wild rowanberry (S. aucuparia L.), while the antioxidant potential was assessed using three different methods, based on the capacity to scavenge ABTS^●+ and DPPH^● and measure the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). In general, the radical scavenging capacity was higher for hybrid cultivars, e.g., for cvs Likernaja, Burka, Granatnaja, and Rubinovaja in all assays. The highest value in the ABTS^●+ assay was determined for the fruit sample Likernaja, and in DPPH^● assay in the pomace sample of cv. Likernaja, at 527.55 and 1068.28 µM TE/g dw, respectively. The highest ORAC value was found in the fruit sample of Burka (456.53 µM TE/g dw). Among the Nevezhino rowans, the highest radical scavenging values of all fractions were determined in cv. Solnechnaja. Regarding the total phenolic content (TPC), higher values were obtained in the whole fruits than in separated fractions, juice, and pomace. The tested hybrids had higher TPC values, either in fruit and pomace or in juice extracts, than those in the other analyzed S. aucuparia L. cultivars. While the fruit and juice samples showed higher anthocyanin (ACY) values, the pomace samples had higher hydroxycinnamic acid (HCA) contents on average. The results revealed that the different fractions of selected rowanberry cultivars can be a promising source of antioxidants and polyphenols for further potential applications. It is envisaged that the results of this study will serve in valorizing sweet rowanberry cultivars as value-added functional ingredients for food and non-food applications.

Fruit processing by-products contain various classes of bioactive constituents, which may find applications as ingredients for foods, nutraceuticals or cosmeceuticals. This study explored the fractionation of lipophilic rowanberry pomace extracts isolated with pure supercritical CO₂ and its mixtures with a co-solvent ethanol by their on-line separation at subcritical conditions. Rowanberry pomace lipids were extracted with supercritical CO₂ (42.4 MPa, 53 °C) using 0–7% of ethanol, and then fractionated by reducing the first separator’s (S1) pressure to 7 MPa and cooling it to 0, −10 and −20 °C to precipitate the ‘heavier’ fraction (HF). The second separator (S2) was depressurized at ambient temperatures to collect the ‘lighter’ fraction (LF). The yield of the LF increased by decreasing the S1 temperature and increasing the amount of the co-solvent. The concentration of β-carotene was increased in the LF by decreasing the S1 temperature and increasing the co-solvent concentration; at −20 °C it was 66.7% higher than in the non-fractionated extract. The concentrations of tocopherols and phytosterols were also remarkably higher in the LF. In total, 62 compounds were identified in the headspace volatile fraction of the LF, benzaldehyde and benzyl alcohol being the most abundant constituents. In conclusion, fractionation enabled us to obtain fractions with higher concentrations of the selected classes of lipophilic rowanberry constituents.

• Rowanberry pomace extract extends the storage time of meat by inhibiting oxidation. • Pomace extract is effective against the off-flavours caused by carbonyl compounds. • Untargeted metabolomics detects an effect of rowanberry ingredients during storage. • Conventional analysis and metabolomics detection can identify food deterioration.

The berry pomace could be a potential source for food applications due to its high content of polyphenols, but also dietary fiber, PUFAs and pectin. This is the first study that aims to compare the total dietary fiber (TDF), protein, fat, mineral, pectin and fatty acid content of the following 16 different pomace samples of Sorbus aucuparia L. cultivars (cvs): ‘Likernaja’, ‘Burka’, ‘Alaja Krupnaja’, ‘Granatnaja’, ‘Rubinovaja’, ‘Bussinka’, ‘Vefed’, ‘Angri’, ‘Krasnaja’, ‘Solnechnaja’, ‘Sahharnaja’, ‘Oranzevaja’, ‘Kubovaja’, ‘Moravica’, ‘Rosina’ and ‘Rossica’, in order to find new natural materials for valorization. The contents of pectin and dietary fibers were analyzed using the respective Megazyme enzymatic kits. The TDF content was the highest in the pomace samples of hybrid cvs ‘Granatnaja’ (63.04% dry mass DM), ‘Burka’ (64.52% DM), ‘Rubinovaja’ (65.66% DM) and ‘Likernaja’ (67.17% DM). The pomace of hybrid cv ‘Rubinovaja’ was distinguished from other samples by its high protein content, cv ‘Alaja Krupnaja’ by its high pectin content and cv ‘Oranzevaja’ by its high fat content, which were 7.58% DM, 8.39% DM and 7.47% DM, respectively. The pomace of cv ‘Sahharnaja’ possessed the highest average macro-element content (1.56 g/kg DM). The average fatty acids profile was characterized by a high content of linoleic acid (51.94%), oleic acid (20.55%) and palmitic acid (12.96%). The lowest n6/n3 ratio was found in the hybrid cv ‘Alaja Krupnaja’ (6.70%). The data obtained demonstrate that the pomaces of certain cultivars of rowanberry contain significant amounts of valuable components, which can be used in functional food and cosmetic applications.