QUALITY STUDY OF FRUITS AND EXTRACTS FROM SIX ROMANIAN SEA BUCKTHORN VARIETIES

Sea buckthorn is currently used as a functional food, dietary supplements, and medicines raw material. Its fruits are a nutritional and therapeutical components valuable source (minerals, micro- and macronutrients, organic acids, amino acids, sugars, saturated, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, carotenoids, phenolic compounds). They are perishable because, having a thin epicarp and lacking the protective layer of wax, they easily dehydrate and lose their firmness as a result of postharvest metabolic processes. The study aims to determine how the very low temperature (-18°C), establish for harvesting and long-term storage, affects the fruits quality in six varieties of sea buckthorn. Biometric (mass, size, color) and biochemical parameters (pH, titratable acidity, total soluble matter, sugar content, water content, dry matter, ash, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, carotenoids) were determined for this purpose. FTIR spectra for different types of extracts of sea buckthorn in the presence of ultrasonication or magnetic stirring were studied. The results indicated that the fruits stored at a temperature of -18°C have retained their nutritional and therapeutic value, and can be consumed immediately after thawing or can serve as a raw material for further processing