Nowadays, inverse associations between fruit and
vegetable intake and chronic diseases, such as different
types of cancer and cardiovascular disease, have been
demonstrated in numerous epidemiological studies, in
which phytochemicals have been indicated to be responsible
for this observed protective effect (Schreiner and
Huyskens-Keil 2006). Among these compounds, special
interest has been focused on anthocyanins and other
polyphenolics, carotenoids and vitamins C and E. In cherry,
antioxidant potential has been associated with ascorbic acid
and phenolics, the two dominant polyphenols being
caffeoyltartaric acid and 3-p-coumaroyl-quinic acid, while
the major anthocyanins are cyanidin 3-rutinoside and
cyanidin 3-glucoside followed by pelargonidin-3-rutinoside,
peonidin-3-rutinoside and peonidin-3-glucoside which are
found at lower concentrations (Chaovanalikit and Wrolstad
2004; Serrano et al. 2005; 2009).