≥1 piece |
The pharmacologically active constituents of bilberries include flavonoid compounds known as anthocyanosides. An anthocyanoside consists of a backbone molecule known as anthocyanidin bound to one of three sugars (arabinose, glucose, or galactose). More than fifteen different anthocyanosides originate from the five different anthocyanidins found in bilberry. The concentration of anthocyanosides in the fresh fruit is approximately 0.1 to 0.25 percent, whereas concentrated extracts of bilberry yield an anthocyanidin content of 25 percent. For analytical purposes, the anthocyanoside content should always be expressed in terms of anthocyanidin. Only very small amounts of free anthocyanidins exist in nature and in bilberry extracts.