Physico-chemical properties of apple and berry vinegars

Today’s market offers a wide array of specialty vinegars, particularly berry vinegars. The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical properties of commercially available berry vinegars from Latvia and Estonia, including four distinct apple cider vinegars from Italy, Germany, and Latvia. Samples include vinegars derived from black currant, red currant, Japanese quince, gooseberry, nettle, and tomato. Significant differences were observed in total phenolic content (TPC), individual phenolic compounds, organic acids, and antioxidant potential. The highest TPC was detected in Japanese quince vinegar (355.6 ± 9.3 mg GAE 100 mL -1 ) and black currant vinegar (243.3 ± 5.7 mg GAE 100 mL -1 ), which also demonstrated the strongest antiradical activity (16.63 ± 0.02 and 16.38 ± 0.04 mg TE 100 mL -1 , respectively). Among individual compounds, 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and chlorogenic acid were the most abundant phenolics, while acetic, citric, and malic acids dominated the organic acid profiles. Japanese quince vinegar was notably rich in malic and quinic acids, and black currant vinegar had the highest ascorbic acid content (104.17 ± 0.02 mg 100 mL -1 ). These findings suggest that berry-based vinegars, especially those from Japanese quince and black currant, may serve as valuable functional food ingredients due to their superior antioxidant and bioactive profiles.