The influence of natural β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) on the overall antioxidant activity of berry extracts is presented in this study. Raw raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) and β-CD-assisted dehydrated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) ethanolic extracts (RB and SB, respectively) were spectrophotometrically monitored in the presence of 1 mM 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·) solution in the absence or presence of β-CD. Cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (Cy3G) was used as standard compound, being identified by RP-HPLC in both RB and SB at 14.62 and only 0.15 mg/100 g fresh weight (fw). Pelargonidin 3-O-glucoside (Plg3G) was the most concentrated anthocyanin in SB (estimated at 2.46 mg/100 g fw). Higher antioxidant activities (expressed as the radical scavenging activity, RSA, %) were obtained for SB dehydrated in the presence of β-CD. The RSA values increased by 35% in comparison with the SB dehydrated by the classical method. On the other hand, the DPPH· reaction kinetic parameters significantly differed for RB extracts evaluated in the presence of 1 mM β-CD (in water). The DPPH· reaction rate in the 3–15 min time range was 25% higher for the RB extracts obtained from the β-CD-assisted dehydrated samples. This study demonstrates for the first time the protection capacity of β-CD against the degradation of antioxidants during the classical dehydration process of berries. This technology can be extended to other fruits and scaled up for obtaining high-quality fruit-based products.

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) belongs to the Cactaceae family and is a species cultivated for fruit consumption due to its rich content of vitamins, minerals and an excellent source of antioxidants (betacyanin), but also vegetable albumin, vitamins and water-soluble fibres. The best method for rapid plant multiplication is cell and tissue culture, so in this study we followed the influence of different growth hormones on micropropagation and rooting, in two varieties of pitaya (Vietnamese White dragon fruit and Red Jiana Dragon Fruit). Thus, the shoots obtained from the seeds were grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) culture medium supplemented with two types of cytokinins: 6-benzyl amino purine (BAP) – 2.5 mg/l and kinetin (KIN) – 2 mg/ l, respectively naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) – 1 mg/l, for multiplication, and for the rooting of the shoots, Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1 mg/l IBA, respectively the medium without growth regulators, was used. The results obtained were different depending on the variety, but also on the type of growth regulators used.