Ripening- and Season-Dependent Variation in Polyphenolic Compounds and the Antioxidant Capacity of Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus L.)

Antioxidants play an essential role in human health by reducing damage caused by free radicals. Total polyphenol, flavonoid, and anthocyanin contents and the antioxidant capacity of two sour cherry cultivars (Cigánymeggy, Oblacsinszka) grown under conventional and organic production systems were evaluated over two consecutive years at different stages of ripening. Results showed that the concentrations of different antioxidant compounds varied during ripening, but more significant differences were observed between the growing seasons, whereas no significant differences were found between the investigated genotypes or cultivation methods. In 2024, total polyphenol values during the harvest period ranged from 1116.33 to 1874.39 mg GAE/100 g DM, while in 2025 they ranged from 909.81 to 1668.96 mg GAE/100 g DM. Polyphenol profile analysis showed that the main polyphenolic compounds of sour cherries, including cyanidin-3-glucosylrutinoside, cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and cyanidin-3-sophoroside, were detected in both years, indicating that the major anthocyanin components were consistently present despite harvesting year effects.